Healing
by bruised-tears
Summary: A frozen heart is melted and a broken heart is mended. OCScott, minor RogueLogan, RogueGambit the past is dug up for two broken people who are healing through each other
1. Before I'm Dead

**Healing**

**Disclaimer:** I own Laurel and Amelia that's about it

**Full Summary:** A frozen heart is melted and a broken heart is mended. A C.I.A agent with a dark past saves a young mutant and Rogue's life and in return is offered help from Professor Xavier to come to terms with her past. When she spots the attraction between Logan and Rogue, however, she takes matters into her own hands to bring them together and to try and forget about her growing love for a mourning Scott Summers.

**Pairings:** OC/Scott and Rogue/Logan

**Rating:** M (later chapters)

**A/N:** OK first X-Men fic so don't kill me if I get loads of details and stuff wrong I've only seen the films and from what I can remember of the cartoons

The lyrics at the beginning are from 'Before I'm Dead' by Kidney Thieves

**Chapter One **– **Before I'm Dead**

Moon hangs round  
A blade over my head  
Reminds me  
What to do before I'm dead  
Night consumes light  
And all I dread  
Reminds me what to do before I'm dead

Sun reclines  
Tease my mind  
Reminds me what to leave behind  
Light eats night  
And all I never said  
Reminds me what to do before I'm...

To see you  
To touch you  
To see you  
To touch you

Epochs fly, reminds me  
What I hide, reminds me  
The desert skies  
Cracks the spies  
Reminds me what I never tried  
The ocean wide salted red  
Reminds me what to do before I'm...

To see you  
To touch you  
To feel you  
To tell you

The sun reclines...remind me  
The desert skies...remind me  
The ocean wide salted red  
Reminds me what to do before I'm...

To see you  
To touch you  
To feel you  
To tell you

Laurel snapped the lighter shut and took a long drag of her cigarette; removing it from between her lips she blew the smoke out in a plume and ran her other hand through her matted hair with a heavy sigh. She gently sat up and crept out of the bed, scrabbling a hand under the bed for her thong and tugging it on, quickly putting on her bra and sliding into her full-length black dress.

"Time to finish the job."

Her whispered words playing through her mind she retrieved her purse from the nearby chair and crept stealthily over to the door, slipping into her black jewelled pumps. She was halfway through the door when he called out to her and she cursed herself silently. _Fuck_.

"You're leaving?"

She nodded, her face impassive and her body tensed as he sat up in the bed, the sheets slipping down his naked body to pool at his waist.

"Why?"

There was suspicion as well as confusion in his voice and she watched his eyes and muscles sharpen as he realised there was more to her than meets the eye.

"Your part in my job is over."

His eyes narrowed and he sat up properly, his eyes darting to the drawer besides him before back to her still stood in the doorway. She saw the movement but she didn't flinch, she knew she was quicker than him anyway and her limbs weren't slow with sleep like his were.

"And what part did I play?"

She hesitated, wondering if the truth would give too much away, but why not? He must know already it has something to do with his work or he wouldn't be so suspicious.

"You got me in."

Bitterness flickered into his eyes for a brief moment and guilt flickered quickly into hers before bother were gone and he was glaring at her blank face once more.

"I should have known, I never should have let you get so close."

A half-smile crossed her face even as her hand strayed to the clasp of her bag, deftly unfastening it silently as she spoke.

"For what it's worth it wasn't easy; it took much longer than I first thought to even get _near_ to you never mind close enough to get into this damn fortress."

She gestured with her eyes at the elaborate room suggesting his vast fortune and he gave her a sour yet somewhat smug smile. In the split second he took to dive for the gun in his drawer she had pulled hers out and was perfectly positioned with it pointed directly between his eyes by the time he sat up. He smirked at her and raised his gun, his finger caressing the trigger as he trailed it up from pointing at the floor to her heart.

She pulled the trigger.

Knowing she only had a moment before the guards outside came to check on the noise she darted down the corridor and heaved her shoulder against the door at the end until it gave and she staggered into the room. Racing over to the desk she grabbed the locked case of floppy discs from the shelf above the computer monitor, shoving it into her bag she rifled through the drawers until she found the box of memory sticks she was looking for and she dropped them into her bag as well before sprinting out of the room.

Three huge guards were just leaving the bedroom where he lay as she careened into the rail and swung down the stairs, shots ringing out and bullets embedding themselves into the wall behind her head as she ran. More guards were pouring in through the front door so she took a sharp left, narrowly missing more bullets, and dived out of the window with a loud crash accompanied by the ear-splitting sound of the alarm.

* * *

Stretching luxuriously she rolled over and buried her face in the cool pillows on the other side of her bed. Sunlight streamed in from the window besides her and flooded her body beneath the purple silk sheets with light as she rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly. Her body aching from the exertions of the night before she eased herself into a sitting position on the side of the bed and ran a hand through her bedraggled hair. Having only had the energy to strip off and collapse under the sheets when she had finally returned home in the early hours of the morning, her naked body was scratched and dirty and covered in a sticky sheen of dry sweat. 

Sighing she wrapped the sheet around herself loosely and crossed the room into her adjoining bathroom, switching on the taps and placing her hand underneath the gushing spray of water. Fixing her gaze on the water beading her hands and streaming over her bare arm she tilted her head slightly to the side and narrowed her eyes until the water beating against her skin was at exactly the right temperature. Giving a sigh of pleasure she stripped off the sheet and slipped into the waterfall of steaming water.

Soon after she left the steamed up room through the door on the opposite side which led into a small ivy green hallway which branched off into her kitchen and front room which were also adjoined. Wandering into her kitchen in a dark red towel she switched on the kettle and glanced through the post she had dumped on the side a few days ago and not bothered to look at. Nothing but bills.

After making her coffee she stood over the sink and stared out of the window at her frost bitten garden as she drank it, her mind wandering aimlessly. The ringing of the telephone startled her into dropping her mug, her lightening reflexes kicking in and snatching it back before it hit the stainless steel of the sink. Shaking her head at the coffee all down her towel she hurriedly made her way into the front room to snatch up the phone.

"Yeah hello."

"Laurel baby, you're in deep shit."

Laurel rolled her eyes as her partner's voice chirped down the phone at her.

"Hey Matt, I wondered how long it would take."

She could almost feel Matt smirk at her as she crossed the hallway back into her bedroom.

"You know what Shipman's like and he went ballistic when the first thing he saw this morning was your report on his desk."

Laurel cradled the phone between her chin and her shoulder as she wriggled into her black lace underwear.

"See the state this government's in; the day I actually get my report in on time I get bollocked for it."

Her voice was muffled as she pulled on a tight white vest top, manoeuvring the phone around it so Matt's reply was half lost; she got the gist of it though.

"Don't be so fucking flip, not only did you kill the guy you were investigating you were seen by the security video and risked bringing the whole operation down around our asses!"

Laurel dropped the phone onto her bed as she pulled on a pair of skin tight leather trousers and buckled up the large ornately carved silver buckle of her belt. When she pressed the receiver against her ear again Matt was still busy tearing a strip off her. When he finally paused for breath she interrupted him before he could begin again.

"Look Matt I did what I had to do and it says so in the report so Shipman is just gonna have to deal with that."

Deciding there was no point arguing Matt simply told her to report in at headquarters later on before moving the conversation onto the usual subjects they talked about such as the gossip.

After she had finally hung up Laurel pulled on her black Doc Martins laced loosely with purple laces she tied her hair back in a messy ponytail at the back of her head and swung her black leather jacket on before deciding that the sooner she got bawled out by her boss the better and she headed out to where her motorbike was parked behind her apartment building.

* * *

Pulling her bike up she parked it around the corner from the shop in a shadow next to a broken street light; she wasn't stupid enough to advertise her bike by parking it in the light where anyone could see it. Moving around the shop quickly she grabbed the groceries she needed and paid for them all within the space of about ten minutes since the late hour meant the store was practically deserted. 

Tucking her groceries into the in-built pocket under her seat she was just about to climb back onto it when her sharp hearing caught the sound of a kid screaming. Ignoring it she straddled her bike and turned the engine when another bloodcurdling shriek shattered the relative silence of the night and she sighed irritably before moving away from her bike and killing the engine again.

Pausing on the pavement next to her bike she cocked her head to the side, her eyes flashing in the darkness as her sharp hearing picked through the sounds surrounding her. Eventually she heard the faint sounds of a struggle coming from the alley to her left and she made her way towards it, pausing at the entrance and staring into the pressing blackness it offered.

"It's always an alley, why can't people just learn not to go down them?"

Scowling she stepped into the alley and made her way down it until she could make out four heavily built men laughing and jeering as they kicked at a girl no older than nine or ten lying in a bloody heap on the dirty floor sobbing.

Anger began to seep into Laurel's mind as she approached the group who had yet to notice her. The closer she got the more anger she was developing until she was about ready to snap anyone's neck who dared to come near her.

"Oi!"

They had finally noticed her and a slow grin began to curve her lips as she paused about a metre away from the group and widened her stance a little, every muscle in her body coiled ready to pounce if they came near her.

"She looks like fun, get her."

Grinning she waited for the two guys closest to her to approach, as one lunged at her she ducked and he sailed over her shoulder and into a rather large puddle behind her. The other one took a more cautious approach and tried grabbing her wrist, a move which she promptly turned on him. Gripping his wrist she twisted it round until she heard it crack before yanking his arm around his back and kicking him face first onto the floor.

The first guy was now back on his feet and coming back towards her, throwing a punch towards her she deflected it easily and shot a lightening jab at his kidneys under his upraised arm. Kicking him as he swung at her again she used a vicious upper cut to slam him to the ground where he was promptly knocked unconscious by the contact his head made with the floor.

The other two guys were now approaching her menacingly and she flexed her hands waiting for them. Yet before they could reach her a vicious wind began to blow which picked one of them up off his feet and flung him into the dumpster to his right. The other kept advancing and was much heavier than the first two, one quick glance over him and she knew she wouldn't be able to lift it in her current exhausted state so she swung a punch at him instead. And it had absolutely no effect on him whatsoever. Seeing she had no choice she slammed the heel of her hand up into his nose breaking it and knocking him out.

For the first time she noticed they were no longer alone in the alley, not only was the wind still waging war on that guy but a tall well built man with metal claws was slashing the hell out of the first one to attack her who had stumbled to his feet. Turning Laurel saw a pretty girl with long mahogany hair whipping around her face in the wind and two vivid white stripes framing her face as she battled with the fourth guy.

She didn't see what appeared to be an extra guy advance on her with a deadly looking gun glimmering in the flickering light of a passing car's headlights, but Laurel did. Making a split second decision she launched herself at the girl who gave a surprised gasp before they were tumbling over and over on the ground and a streak of fire licked past Laurel's side sending a gush of blood seeping into her white top.

The girl shoved her off and knelt at her side to check the wound but Laurel was already climbing to her knees and crawling across the damp alley floor to reach the young girl who was now cowering in a corner with her knees drawn up to her chin.

"Are you alright?"

She reached out a hand and she let out a low growling noise in the back of her throat. For the first timeLaurel took a hard look atteh girland noticed what seemed to be thick blond fur growing along the top of her hands anda long tail curled around her ankles which tightened reflexively when she touched her hunched shoulder.

"I won't hurt you; I'm going to help you. See I helped get rid of the men who were trying to hurt you. Come on now, come on out."

Slowly she crept out and darted into Laurel's arms, her tail wrapping around her left leg tightly as she clung to her, her face buried in her shoulder and her hands gripping the sides of her top including the wound she had just received. Giving a grunt of pain she bit her lip and ignored it; she was used to pain.

"Hey, you alright over there?"

Hunching over the girl slightly as though shielding her she turned on her haunches to survey the three people approaching them. The one who had spoken was the guy before who still had metal claws out just in case. The other two were female, the girl who Laurel had saved and who was now limping and another had beautiful dark skin that emphasised the stark whiteness of her hair.

"You're OK?"

Laurel glared at the white haired woman before nodding and getting to her feet, swaying slightly from the blood loss and glancing down at the girl now sleeping on her shoulder. The woman caught sight of her wound and moved forward to steady her but Laurel gave her a harsh glare which quickly had her backing away.

"We're not here to hurt you, let us help you."

Eyeing them all carefully Laurel decided she had lost too much blood to fight anymore and she was now definitely too exhausted to ride home and try to sort the wound herself. She could always ring headquarters and get a doctor out to her but she was feeling rather resentful towards the place after the amount of times she had been bollocked for last night's debacle that morning.

"Fine, but one wrong move and I'm gone."

* * *

Laurel forced herself to stay awake on the journey back so she had a good idea of the distance from her home and any escape routes if possible. Of course this was made more difficult by the fact that their return journey was made in a huge 4x4 with tinted windows so dark she could barely see out of them even with her keen eyesight. 

"Home sweet home."

Laurel glanced at the girl she had saved earlier who was hanging out of the window waving at the group of people waiting for them on the steps of the front porch. A smiling bald man in a wheelchair approached them as they made their way up the stairs and Laurel's instincts took over as she quickly appraised the group and her surroundings, assessing any threats and checking out the escape routes.

"Welcome, I am Professor Xavier." His gaze fixed on hers and she had the uncomfortable feeling he knew what she was doing. "But now is not the time for introductions."

Spinning around he led the way back into the Manor and Laurel reluctantly followed, her eyes still marking everything down in her head. As the group paused outside a wooden panel in the wall she swayed and threw out a hand to brace herself against the wall.

"Here, let me."

As the white haired woman reached out to take the girl from Laurel she woke abruptly and began thrashing around wildly trying to get away from the woman's outstretched hands and almost strangling Laurel in the process.

"I won't be far away; I'll come and see you as soon as I've sorted myself out."

After whimpering for a while and making her promise that she would see her as soon as she could throughout the entire elevator ride she relented and allowed the woman to carry her for Laurel as she stumbled out of the lift and shook her fuzzy head to try to clear it. Her white shirt was now almost entirely soaked in blood, the straps being the only part not yet reached and her trousers shining with the liquid as Laurel took several deep breaths to clear her head.

Taking another step forward she suddenly reeled and fell over backwards, right into someone's arms who hurriedly carried her through into the Hospital where the boy had already had his numerous cuts and bruises mostly tended to and was staring around at all the strange people with huge worried eyes. Lying Laurel down on a pristine white stretcher, which was already beginning to dye red, he stepped back to allow his friends to help her.

A fast healer Laurel was awake early the next morning with the pain on her side already easing to just an uncomfortable burning ache as she slid off the bed and pulled on her freshly laundered clothes, her top was still a dark crimson in colour as she pulled it on but she didn't give it a second thought. Leaving the room quietly she crept along the corridor, her bare feet making no noise on the polished floorboards as she approached the lift they had used the night before.

As the doors slid silently open she caught sight of a tall dark haired man with a pair of what appeared to be red sunglasses on. Stepping into the lift he smiled at her and she found herself grinning slightly back at him.

"You're feeling better?"

She nodded and reached up to tie her hair back in a knot to keep it out of her face. Catching sight of her smiling reflection in the metal button panel besides him she shook her head and wiped her face clear of all emotions again.

"Is the girl OK?"

He nodded and she turned back to stare at the blank door of the lift as it steadily made its way up to the ground floor. It was early enough in the morning for no one to be around so the lift wasn't stopped until they reached the ground floor. The doors slid open and Laurel took a step forwards into the deserted corridor.

"By the way, the name's Scott."

Turning Laurel gave him a quick once over and smirked, leaning against the doors of the lift to keep them from closing.

"Laurel."

Stepping back the doors silently slid shut in front of her hiding Scott's smiling face as she made her way along the corridor to try and find the little girl from the night before.


	2. Mad World

**Disclaimer:** I own Laurel and Amelia that's about it

**Full Summary:** A frozen heart is melted and a broken heart is mended. A C.I.A agent with a dark past saves a young mutant and Rogue's life and in return is offered help from Professor Xavier to come to terms with her past. When she spots the attraction between Logan and Rogue, however, she takes matters into her own hands to bring them together and to try and forget about her growing love for a mourning Scott Summers.

**Pairings:** OC/Scott and Rogue/Logan

**Rating:** M (later chapters)

The lyrics at the beginning are from 'Mad World' by Gary Jules

Thanks to reviewers they're answered at the end as usual, not much action in this its more about Laurel's past and her insecurities.

**Chapter Two **– **Mad World**

All around me are familiar faces  
Worn out places  
Worn out faces  
Bright and early for the daily races  
Going no where  
Going no where  
Their tears are filling up their glasses  
No expression  
No expression  
Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow  
No tomorrow  
No tomorrow  
And I find it kind of funny  
I find it kind of sad  
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had  
I find it hard to tell you  
I find it hard to take  
When people run in circles its a very very  
Mad world  
Mad world  
Children waiting for the day they feel good  
Happy birthday  
Happy birthday  
And I feel the way that every child should  
Sit and listen  
Sit and listen  
Went to school and I was very nervous  
No one knew me  
No one knew me  
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson  
Look right through me  
Look right through me  
And I find it kind of funny  
I find it kind of sad  
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had  
I find it hard to tell you  
I find it hard to take  
When people run in circles its a very very  
Mad world  
Mad world  
Mad world

"Ah, we've been waiting for you. Do come in and have a seat."

Laurel cast the group a suspicious look before taking a further step into the room and leaning back against the door. Her eyes quickly taking in the group from the night before and a few more people scattered around the large room.

"I'll stand thanks."

The man in the wheelchair shrugged and leant back in his seat surveying her with a light smile on his face.

"I don't believe we've had the pleasure of any introductions yet."

Laurel cocked her head to the side before sighing irritably and slumping down into a nearby empty seat, catching sight of Scott lounging gracefully in a chair near the window to her left and smirking at her.

"Laurel Sear."

He smiled kindly at her and nodded, leaning forward in his seat and resting his fingertips together as he made the introductions.

"I'm Professor Xavier; these are my X-Men who you've already had the pleasure of meeting."

Laurel raised an eyebrow but nodded at the room in general as they introduced themselves.

"Bobby."

Laurel nodded at a tall blonde boy who was slouched on the floor near Scott.

"Storm."

Laurel nodded impassively at the white-haired woman who was perched on the window seat to the right of Scott next to the dark haired girl.

"Rogue, and thanks by the way."

Laurel lifted her lips slightly at her and glanced at the rough looking man with the claws from the night before who had a hand resting lightly on the brown haired girl's legs which were thrown over his own. Before he could speak she interrupted him;

"Wolverine."

He glared at her for a moment and she grinned at him, well aware she'd gotten to him already.

"Your dog tags."

His look didn't ease at all but his posture relaxed the tiniest bit when Rogue dropped a teasing hand onto his shoulder.

"I have some just like them."

Professor Xavier turned to her and she leant back into her chair and propped her feet up on the edge of the table before her. She pulled out a battered pack of cigarettes from her back pocket and quickly lit one, taking a deep drag and exhaling up into the air before continuing.

"I suppose you want to know who I am why I was in that alley and what my mutation is and all that bullshit."

Ignoring her use of language and the cigarette the Professor nodded gently at her to continue and she took a long breath before tipping her head back against the top of the chair to look up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"Fifteen years ago, when I was eight there was an event in my life, which is none of your business by the way, basically I wanted revenge. The C.I.A found me, offered me training and a free license to get my revenge legally all I had to do was work for them, and also there was the little matter of the fine print but that's not the point. I accepted their offer; they were my family, they taught me everything I know and I'm good at what I do. One of the best to be specific."

She paused and took another long drag on her cigarette, running her hand back through her hair and turning to look at Wolverine as he spoke;

"Try being more specific, what exactly do you do?"

Laurel stared at him for a moment before taking another drag on her cigarette, keeping her eyes on him the whole time without blinking once.

"I'm the C.I.A's number one assassin, and I plan for it to stay that way."

Silence followed her words but she wasn't finished yet, since she was sharing her life story why stop now?

"I imagine you're wondering about my mutation."

The Professor nodded and she sighed before fixing her gaze on a nearby glass of water and waving her free hand at it. The water curled out of the glass and rippled through the air into her hand to form a flame shape rather like the contents of a lava lamp.

"I can manipulate water. Which makes me exceptionally dangerous to humans…"

"Because they're made up mostly of water."

She nodded at Scott and took another drag on her cigarette, her eyes fixed on the water in her hand as it moved to form a thumbs-up sign at him before dropping to weave in and out of her fingers as though it was alive.

"Wait a second… what was the fine print in the contract the C.I.A offered you?"

Laurel didn't even look up at Rogue; she kept her gaze firmly on the water as she cocked her head to the side almost thoughtfully as she replied.

"They had the clever idea of messing around with a mutant's and animal's D.N.A." She glanced at the Professor who was frowning at her but nodded for her to continue. "So they stuck a bunch of cat's D.N.A inside me and trained me to use it. You're looking at a real live Catwoman dearies, oh the suspense."

"Interesting choice of animal." Laurel turned her gaze fully on Scott who stared straight back at her through his glasses. "Cat's and water do get on _so_ well."

She raised an eyebrow at him before shooting the water back into the glass and stubbing out her cigarette in the ash tray Storm hastily slid along the table towards her.

"Interesting, very interesting. Now Miss Sear, will you be remaining with us? I sincerely hope you do, as much for the little girl's safety as your own. She's grown rather attached to you."

Laurel's eyes softened ever so slightly as her mind ticked over what she should do, she made a rather hasty decision. If she were away for the C.I.A for a while she might have a better chance at finding who she had spent half her life searching for.

"I'm not staying for long, just until I've figured out a few things."

He nodded and quickly told Storm to show her to a room before sending her down to see the little girl who was now driving her carers insane asking after Laurel.

* * *

"_Please don't hurt her; she doesn't know any of this. She has no idea what we are, what we do. Please!"_

_A scream rent the air and luckily masked an eight year old girl's terrified half-sob half-scream as she huddled deeper back against the wall of the wardrobe. The clothes swayed before her mixing in with the shadows moving on the other side of the slatted-wooden doors._

_Something hot and wet splattered against the door, some escaping through and splashing her as she whimpered and crept closer to the door so she could peek through._

_A man was standing over a woman who was tied up against the wall, hanging from some sort of crude hook that had been driven into it until her feet were dangling above the floor, her bare toes only just touching the wood._

"_All we've done for you! You swore allegiance to us, to our cause. And now this, what about those who trusted you with their lives; what about them!"_

_The man was screaming, his hand reaching out to grab a fistful of the woman's long silvery-blonde hair which was now matted with blood._

"_The cause was wrong. It was not for our people it was for your own ends and you know it!"_

_SMACK_

_The little girl's scream was lost inside the woman's as the force of the slap knocked her head back with a fierce crack against the wall._

"_You are traitors against your people, where will you go now? You know what they do to our kind; you've seen it with your own eyes, so tell me now what will you do? How will you save your child from the world?"_

_The woman raised her head, so smeared with blood only her eyes and bloody lips were discernable._

"_There's hope for them yet, they are not as single-minded as you think."_

_The little girl backed away from the door when another shadow passed by it making her whimper even louder as the woman's screams rose to a fever pitch and she curled up against the wall of the wardrobe with her hands over her ears and her long hair trailing over her as she buried her head in her knees._

Jerking to a sitting position in bed Laurel had a knife in her hand ready before she had even opened her eyes. Her nightmare still vivid in her mind she slowly lowered the knife and dropped it, with a shaking hand, back onto her bedside table. The out-size man's shirt and tiny white shorts she slept in were drenched with sweat as was the sheet underneath her as she pushed back the covers and smoothed a hand over the top of her head where her hair was drenched with sweat and already falling out of its plait.

Taking a deep shuddering breath she pulled herself together and climbed out of bed, tugging open her door and making her way down to the kitchen. Entering the brightly lit room she found Bobby, Wolverine and Scott sat around the breakfast bar chatting. They looked up as she opened the door and she nodded uncomfortably at them before moving past to grab a glass of water for herself.

"Care to join us?"

Laurel studied Bobby for a moment before shrugging and sliding into a seat next to him opposite Wolverine.

"So, what do you call yourself?"

Laurel lifted her eyebrows at him and took a sip of her water as he stared fixedly down at the table flushing at the stupidity of his question, something Wolverine found exceedingly amusing.

"Naida." When all three of them looked blankly back at her she sighed and took a gulp of water to calm her still shaken nerves; water always calmed her, that was why she preferred to be somewhere near to a source of water. "It means water nymph."

Bobby opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted when Rogue burst into the room followed by Jubilee, they were both giggling loudly. ignoring the boys except Jubilee who gave Logan a noisy sloppy kiss on the cheek causing him to snarl at her and wipe one hand down the side of his face irritably, they made their way to the fridge and cupboards respectively.

Laurel raised her eyebrows at Rogue's choice of nightwear but didn't comment as the younger girl buried her head in the fridge apparently looking for something. She was wearing a knee-length white silk nightdress with lacy straps covering most of her shoulders. Her habitual gloves were covering the rest of her arms and a pair of knee-high socks provided extra protection as she finally withdrew her head from the fridge with her arms laden with goodies.

Flipping her long ponytail over her shoulder she crossed the room and dumped the packets of chocolates, ice cream, cans of soda, a bottle of white wine and various other things she had managed to rummage out of the fridge and freezer onto a large tray standing on the worktop next to where Jubilee was kneeling on it to dig to the very back of the cupboard. When Jubilee's bags of donuts, cookies, fairy cakes and popcorn had joined the rest on the tray she managed to wriggle down off the counter and quickly raised a hand to check her glasses were still propped on her head.

"So boys." Jubilee hoisted herself up onto Bobby's lap and slung an arm around his neck. "What are you doing to torture this poor girl, huh?"

Bobby rolled his eyes and reached around her for his soda as Rogue joined them, one carefully covered elbow resting on Wolverine's shoulder and her silken hip slung carelessly towards one of his strong muscular arms resting along the table. Laurel eyes this position with great interest before mentally shrugging and taking another sip of her water.

"I've got an idea; why don't you join us, Laurel?"

Laurel stared at Rogue for a moment but she was only smiling warmly at her, no hint of the teasing in her demeanour that Laurel was accustomed to from girls. Most girls she met thought she was cold and haughty, basically stuck-up but it was only a defence mechanism to stop anyone from getting too close. She usually preferred to stay with the lads anyway, it was easier to be one of them then to try and break into the clique of a group of girls. Lost in thought she didn't realise she had failed to answer her and merely sat there in silence.

"Yeah come on its great!" Snapping back to the present Laurel turned to look at a beaming Jubilee who was absently running a hand through Bobby's hair making it stick up all over the place. "It's our Girl's Night!"

"By girls we mean there's only us two, Storm and three girls we randomly picked this morning."

Laurel found herself smiling despite herself, especially when she noticed that Rogue was almost fully pressed against Wolverine's side and her hand was vaguely tracing circles on his bare arm yet neither of them appeared to notice it.

"Come on we have so much fun! We gossip, paint our nails, play Truth or Dare, get the low-down on recent love developments, listen to girly music and watch a bunch of chick flicks!"

Jubilee was bouncing up and down with excitement and Laurel smirked as she imagined just what exactly the movement on his lap must be doing to Bobby. Jubilee, however, took the smirk as agreement and grabbed a hold of Laurel's arm. Practically dragging her out of the kitchen still chattering loudly Jubilee didn't pause for breath once until she had thrown open the door to one of the smaller drawing rooms at the back of the mansion.

The girls already sat around a roaring fire in there stopped talking abruptly when the two girls entered and Laurel was suddenly thrown back to High School were her reputation as a freak had preceded her and every room she entered greeted her with this same awkward silence. The moment passed when Rogue entered the room behind them and gave her a light push towards the circle of girls. Two girls she had yet to meet were each lying on a couch on either side of the room, one on her stomach with her legs kicking at the air and one on her side with her head propped in her hand.

Storm was sitting up with her arms behind her propping her up and her long bare brown legs stretched out in front of her, the firelight casting a warm amber glow over her and turning her white hair blonde. She smiled at Laurel kindly and patted the space besides her, Laurel sank awkwardly down next to her still feeling as though she was twelve facing a group of popular girls in gym class.

"I'm Faith."

The dark-haired girl on the sofa closest to Laurel gave her a quick smile before burrowing around in the snacks for something while the girl on the other sofa introduced herself.

"Kyra."

The third girl who was lying on her back with her legs stretched out and her head propped on a cushion gave her name as Rachel before going back to her discussion with Rogue about some movie they had been to see earlier in the week with a few others. Jubilee was sat with her legs crossed happily munching on a chocolate bar and managing to get most of it on her face.

* * *

As the night wore on and they were balancing dangerous between late night and early morning the music was mysteriously switched up and soon Diana Ross and the Temptations was blasting out and most of the girls were prancing around the room, jumping on and off the couches dancing and singing loudly along and mostly out of tune. As Jubilee wriggled past her Laurel leaned sideways to avoid her flailing arms and found herself being hauled to her feet.

"Come on!"

Smiling awkwardly at Rogue who beamed back she stood for a moment as the other danced around them before letting her hands be captured by Rogue's who lifted them above their hands and swung them backwards and forwards. Sighing heavily she made a hard decision and grinned at Rogue before throwing her head back so quickly her messy plait threatened to fall apart in retaliation and swinging her hips from side to side. Beaming Rogue let her hands go and danced off to join Jubilee who was starting a conga line with the others, all of whom were bellowing the words to the music at the tops of their voices.

"REMEMBER THE DAY  
I SET YOU FREE  
I TOLD YOU, YOU COULD ALWAYS COUNT ON ME DARLIN'  
AND FROM THAT DAY ON  
I MADE A VOW  
I'LL BE THERE WHEN YOU WANT ME  
SOMEWAY, SOMEHOW."

Laurel froze for a second as realisation hit her; she was having fun. Honest to god _fun_! She couldn't remember the last time she had actually had fun; it must have been while she was at the Academy training. Turning she found an amused Storm watching them all with a slightly wistful look on her beautiful features. Laurel frowned, she knew what it was like to not fit into a particular group properly and right now Storm was the oldest woman in the room which couldn't be making her feel very good at all.

"Up."

Storm stared at her incredulously, ignoring the outstretched hand until Laurel was forced to pull her to her feet as Rogue had pulled her up.

"I don't care what your excuse its time for fun, you can worry about anything else _later_."

Storm laughed and shook her head but Laurel was persistent as she shoved her against Rachel who was the last in the conga line. Joining onto the end Laurel kicked her legs rather higher than the others and didn't even notice when the door opened and three male heads rounded the door. Pulling back the three men closed the door and backed away from it, looking at each other for a moment before muttering the same word at exactly the same time and heading off in their own separate directions;

"Women."

* * *

**joegood2003** – I hope this explains why she didn't react more strongly to the X-Men and their powers? Glad you liked it anyway

**wakingbear** – thank you

**kiss316** – glad you like, hope you enjoy


	3. Sitting Down Here

**Disclaimer:** I ownanything you don't recognisethat's about it

**Full Summary:** A frozen heart is melted and a broken heart is mended. A C.I.A agent with a dark past saves a young mutant and Rogue's life and in return is offered help from Professor Xavier to come to terms with her past. When she spots the attraction between quite a few members of the school, however, she takes matters into her own hands to bring them together and to try and forget about her growing love for a mourning Scott Summers.

**Pairings:** OC/Scott, minor Rogue/Logan, Rogue/Gambit eventually

**Rating:** M (later chapters)

**Quote of the Day:** "_I'm pissed off is what I am! Do you go around drenching everyone who comes into your room with flame-retardant chemicals? No wonder you're single_." (Metatron – Dogma)

The lyrics at the beginning are from 'Sitting Down Here' by Lene Marlin

Lyrics in the middle from 'Open Your Heart' by Madonna and 'This Love' by Maroon 5

**Chapter Three **– **Sitting Down Here**

Sitting down here your words cut rather deeply  
They're just some other lies  
I'm hiding from a distance  
I've got to pay the price  
Defending all against it  
I really don't know why  
You're obsessed with all my secrets  
You always make me cry  
You seem to wanna hurt me  
No matter what I do  
I'm telling just a couple  
But somehow it gets to you  
But I've learned how to get revenge  
And I swear you'll experience that some day

I'm sitting down here  
But hey you can't see me, kinda invisible­  
You don't sense my stay  
Not really hiding, not like a shadow  
Just thought I would join you for one day  
I'm sitting down here  
But hey you can't see me

I'm trying not to avoid you  
Just don't wanna hear your voice  
When you call me up so often  
I really don't have a choice  
You're talking lie you know me  
And wanna be my friend  
But that's really too late now  
I won't try it once again  
You may think that I'm loser  
That I don't really care  
You may think that it's all forgotten  
But you should be aware  
Cause I've learned to get revenge  
And I swear you'll experience that some day

I'm sitting down here,  
But hey you can't see me  
Kinda invisible  
You don't sense my stay  
Not really hiding, not like a shadow  
But sure I wanna join you one day

Scott sighed and took a sip of his steaming coffee; leaning forwards against the railing of the back porch he surveyed the early morning grounds. Since most of the children were at home with their families for break the mansion was much emptier than usual and he could enjoy his first few moments of being awake in peace. Taking another sip he froze when he saw a flicker of movement somewhere in the distance across the grounds and he stood up a little straighter. He relaxed only a little when he realized it was just Laurel. He squinted through his glasses when he saw her halt; bending down she stretched out her legs and arms and shed her sweater to reveal a tank top over her leggings.

Wondering if she was cold Scott was about to shout and offer for some of his coffee when she flipped backwards. Balancing on her hands for a moment she flipped the rest of the way onto her feet. He watched curiously as she performed a series of graceful gymnastic moves that flowed smoothly into one another. By the time she had done his coffee was stone cold and he pulled a face before tipping it into the bushes under the balcony. Scooping up her sweater she threw it over her arm and made her way towards the porch.

"You know, we have workout rooms for things like that."

Laurel turned to look at him; resting one lean hip against the railing and his arms folded over his chest.

"I like my privacy."

He raised an eyebrow at her;

"So you choose an open space in full view of a school."

She pulled her face at him and he laughed, surprising himself more than her as the sound reached his ears sounding foreign; he hadn't laughed in months. Reluctantly Laurel grinned at him and he was about to open the door for her when a blast of music almost deafened them and sent the birds resting happily in the surrounding trees squawking indignantly into the air in droves.

"What the hell!"

Scott peered in at the window besides him and grinned, indicating that Laurel should come and look. Warily she approached him and stared through the slatted blinds at a curious sight. Jubilee and a dark-haired girl Laurel was sure she had been introduced to, were prancing around the kitchen brandishing spoons as microphones. Jubilee was clad only in an overlarge football jersey and her underwear whereas Rogue was fully dressed and perched on the breakfast counter swinging her legs in time to the music and grinning happily.

"Looks like the girls won the fight this morning."

Laurel shot a look at Scott who shrugged and led the way into the mansion as he explained;

"Every morning there's this supposedly unspoken fight about whether the girls get to listen to their music as the guys cook or vice versa. I say 'supposedly unspoken' because nothing on this earth will ever shut Jubilee up…"

He trailed off as the dark-haired girl danced up in a Snoopy shorts and vest-top pajama set and offered Scott a spoon to sing into, he declined.

"No thanks, Kitty."

Shrugging she grinned at Laurel who smiled awkwardly and shook her head as well. Kitty merely spun on the spot and danced over to a tall extremely well-built boy who was sipping a long glass of orange juice. Kissing him on the cheek she nabbed the cowboy hat he had only recently purchased and propped it up on top of her head covering most of her ponytail.

Now they were inside Laurel could manage to discern the words to the song Jubilee was now singing loudly to Rogue;

"_Open your heart to me_

_Baby_

_I hold the lock and you hold the key_

_Open your heart to me_

_Darling_

_I'll give you love if you_

_You turn the key_!"

"If this is gonna be happening every morning I'm thinking you need to get more alcohol into this place."

Scott smirked at Laurel as she took a step back to avoid Jubilee's flying arms.

"Amen to that."

Logan shot a 'told-you-so' look at Scott who cocked his head to the side but was spared from answering as the music ended and loud chatter took its place.

* * *

Laurel knocked on the door and called through it, raising an eyebrow when the door was flung open and something flashed towards her. Looking down she watched the little girl she had saved beaming up at her, her tail flickering wildly and her eyes impossibly wide. 

"Hi!"

Smiling awkwardly Laurel greeted her and was somewhat relieved when she let go of her waist and dragged her into the room by her hand. The room was very small but pleasantly decorated in a dark yellow shade with pale pink bordering. Laurel was pushed into the room and down onto the checkered bed. The girl settled herself down cross-legged on the floor in front of her and returned to beaming.

"This is… erm… a nice room."

The girl didn't seem to notice the uncomfortable shifting in her voice as Laurel watched her shrug her thin shoulders, her eyes never leaving the older girl's face.

"Its fine… but they're moving me into the dorm rooms later on. I can't wait I've never had friends before!"

Laurel winced but the girl seemed happy so she forced a smile; she had never been good with children. She was therefore very relieved when a high-pitched beep went off at her waist and she rose to her feet.

"Looks like I'm needed. See you around kid."

The girl scowled as she opened the door and Laurel backed out quickly wondering what she'd done. She didn't have to wait long to find out;

"I'm not a kid!"

Shaking her head the door had only just clicked into place when she was joined by Scott and the little girl's voice;

"And the name's Milly… thank you."

Laurel grinned and made her way down the corridor with Scott, the beep sounded again and she scowled.

"Yes we know, we're on our way."

Scott raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged. The pair of them boarded the elevator and reached out to press the Ground button; the hands met and Scott hurriedly pulled his away but Laurel merely lifted her eyebrows and settled back to leaning against the wall. On the floor below them they were joined by Rogue, Jubilee and Logan who nodded and moved away from Rogue and Jubilee who were arguing about lingerie.

"How can crotchless knickers be comfortable, Jubilee?"

Jubilee shrugged and leant back against the doors. Laurel turned to Logan;

"Any idea what he wants us for?"

He shrugged and lit a fresh cigar; Scott muttered something causing Logan to blow a stream of smoke towards him.

"Some road trip apparently."

Laurel creased her brow as five coms beeped in unison once more. She had been given a communicator when the rest of the team had that morning, the Professor's only explanation being that if she was staying here she might find it easier to be in the loop so to speak.

"All of us?"

Logan shrugged and opened his mouth to say something when Jubilee snatched the cigar from his mouth and put it out neatly with the tips of her fingers. Jubilee waved the remaining smoke away from her;

"Those things really do reek, you are aware of this aren't you Logan?"

Logan scowled and promptly lit another one, Jubilee stuck her tongue out at him just as the elevator slid to a stop and they filed out and into the Professor's office where the others were already assembled.

* * *

"London… this is great! I love England!" 

Laurel glanced up from her magazine at Jubilee who was practically bouncing out of her seat in excitement as she pressed her face against the glass of the jet.

"Have you ever been before?"

Jubilee shook her head not shifting her gaze once from the clouds outside the window. Laurel snorted and went back to her magazine, Scott glanced at her before looking over at Storm who smirked and nodded that she had control of the jet. Unbuckling himself he moved back to the seat behind him, Laurel afforded him a quick glance before burying her nose back in her magazine.

"Interesting?"

She shrugged;

"Horoscopes."

He raised his eyebrows and she blushed, flipping the page over defiantly. He reached out and turned the page back, she looked up at him curiously.

"What does mine say?"

She shrugged again ignoring Rogue who was giggling behind them.

"Can't read it out to you… its bad luck."

She flicked her gaze over the page and smirked before handing it over to him, he quickly read his prediction for the week immediately spotting what she had found amusing; apparently he was in for a fling.

"How did you know my star sign?"

She leaned back in her chair, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger carelessly.

"Obvious characteristics."

He cocked his head to the side and surveyed her curiously.

"I didn't know you were into astrology."

Laurel leaned forward so suddenly he nearly fell off the chair, her lips brushed his earlobe and her breath tickled his sensitive skin.

"There are lots of things you don't know about me…Scott."

His name was practically a caress as she drew it out unbearably long until he swallowed. He sighed, only half in relief, when she sat back in her chair and returned to flipping through the magazine absently.

"Come on Kitty! That's not fair."

Kitty stuck her tongue out at Piotr who returned the gesture childishly, reaching out for his I-Pod again. She pushed it behind her back where he couldn't reach it and he slouched back miserably in his chair sulking.

"Wolvie darling!"

Wolverine glared at Jubilee who was leaning forwards in her chair, her arms resting on the back of it as she fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"No."

"You don't know what I'm going to ask yet." She pouted.

"The answer's still gonna be no kid."

Jubilee reached past him for the stereo built into the jet and twiddled with it until she found a song she liked. She let out a loud squeal and threw herself backwards into a slightly stunned Bobby's arms giggling with Kitty as they waited for the words.

"_I was so high I did not recognize  
The fire burning in her eyes  
The chaos that controlled my mind  
Whispered goodbye and she got on a plane  
Never to return again  
But always in my heart _

This love has taken it's toll on me  
She said goodbye too many times before  
And her heart is breaking in front of me  
I have no choice cause I won't say goodbye anymore

I tried my best to feed her appetite  
Keep her coming every night  
So hard to keep her satisfied  
Kept playing love like it was just a game  
Pretending to feel the same  
Then turn around and leave again."

Scott glanced at Laurel in amusement and she sank back further into her chair to avoid his smirk.

"You know the words?"

"Fuck off." She smiled sweetly at him and he settled back in his seat grinning, especially when he saw the look on Logan's face at the girls still singing behind his back.

* * *

"Oh my god this is like… so amazing! HELLO LONDON!" 

"Will you shut your trap before you get us all arrested." Logan growled, reaching out of the window and grabbing Jubilee by the collar, hauling her back into the car and winding the window shut.

"Spoil sport."

The car finally pulled up outside a large mansion-type building and the X-Men piled out. When the doors opened and they glimpsed the huge interior Jubilee had to be quickly restrained Scott before she darted into the building and was lost.

"Good evening."

A rather old woman approached them, followed by two younger boys around the same age as Jubilee and Kitty. The woman shook Charles's hand and gestured to the two boys accompanying her.

"Jonah… Sawyer?"

They nodded at the group who watched them with mixed emotions.

"Is there anywhere you'd like to go while we wait?"

"Oh aren't your accents so cute!"

They boys fidgeted and Kitty slapped Jubilee across the back of the head before smiling kindly at them. They stood there awkwardly in relative silence until their respective leaders returned and they were all ushered into a nearby study. Inside there was a beautiful girl sat besides the fireplace reading. She rose when they entered and Laurel distinctly saw both Bobby and Piotr's eyes trail from her long long long legs encased in pale orange tights, up over her ripped and frayed denim skirt and even higher towards her pale pink and orange striped top to her face.

Her long dark hair was pinned loosely in a messy bun as she carefully marked the page in her book and replaced it onto the bookshelf besides her.

"My granddaughter Evangeline."

She nodded at the group and flopped back down into her chair, watching as the X-Men arranged themselves somewhat awkwardly around the room.

"Well you're probably wondering what you're doing here."

Storm and Scott glanced at each other and Logan glanced at the Professor but no one answered her.

"Well the truth is we need your help. Our school has been under attack in the past few months but now the attacks have stopped."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Laurel shook her head; "Not if they were trying to lull you into a false sense of security."

The woman nodded.

"So do you have any idea who's behind the attacks?"

The woman glanced at Evangeline who opened the door to admit another young girl who sauntered into the room and slumped down on the edge of the woman's desk. She crossed her long legs and surveyed them all impassively.

"Taryn, will you let us into your memory stores?"

She looked at the woman before shrugging and she turned away, unlocking an ornately carved wooden chest on her desk and retrieving a small metal chip which she slid carefully into the side of her laptop.

"We devised a way to extract the memories through telepathy and encrypt them onto these chips. Every student and teacher has their own individual one that they can add to or view whenever they like. It helps them we find."

Laurel shuddered at the thought of her memories being shared and hurriedly fixed her eyes on the blank portion of wall where the laptop was now playing a series of speeded up memories. They looked like clips from movies thrown haphazardly together before the computer finally selected one and played it at normal speed.

_Taryn was dressed in a beautiful hot pink gown, her hair pulled up and jewels glittering at her throat and wrists as she glided through the gilded crowd and accepted the champagne offered to her by a smiling waiter. Downing it she circled around and approached a rather handsome man in his late fifties who was surrounded by powerful looking men. Neatly dropping her purse he bent down to retrieve it and she smiled at him coyly under her lashes before sweeping past him and disappearing into the crowd. _

_Slipping through a door marked Private she found herself in a study and she surveyed it impassively. Reaching into the he back of her dress she pulled out a small silver key which would unlock the safe hidden under the picture behind his study._

"_So unoriginal."_

_She was about to move the painting aside when a gun was pressed against her collar bone and an arm through her back roughly against the wall._

"_Darling, you don't give us enough credit."_

_She didn't know who he was but she definitely didn't like the look on his face as he appraised her in her none-too-subtle dress._

"_Only one of you... how insulting."_

_He narrowed his eyes at her and gripped her by the throat with his other hand and slammed her against the wall._

"_It's only gonna take one of me to bring you down sweet."_

_She glared at him, her eyes flashing briefly in the dim light of the room before he was thrown back to the opposite side of the room hitting the wall hard and crumpling in a heap on the floor._

"_You'd be surprised."_

_Quickly moving the painting aside with her mind to remove any possibilities of fingerprints she stared at the metal door of the safe. It began to glow faintly, pale purple light emanating from it until it shimmered and faded almost completely and she could clearly see the elaborate diamond necklace worth one and a half million nestling safely in the plush velvet interior._

_Reaching in she plucked the necklace from the cushion and swapped her original jewels for the stolen one. The safe door shimmered back into place and she moved the painting back before exiting the room and walking right out of the party, the stolen necklace shining brightly under the lights._

The memory ended and the lights in the room sprang back to life.

"So that's the guy that's after you?"

The woman nodded. "Partly yes, what we later discovered was the necklace Taryn took holds great power in its jewels, power a lot of humans and mutants would risk everything to get their hands on."

"Wait wait, are we talking some kind of supernatural voodoo necklace?"

The woman smiled at Logan and shook her head. "No no far less exciting than that… merely science I'm afraid. If the jewels were crushed and broken down in the proper way they will become a source of power far greater than any we have yet on this planet."

"So what exactly do you want us to do?"

The woman leaned forward, glancing at the Professor who smiled.

"I want you to protect it."

* * *

**Ashnan** – thank you very much and don't worry there will be a few OCs in here but the real X-Men will get equal shared time as well 


	4. Closer To Myself

**Disclaimer:** I own anything you don't recognize that's about it

**Full Summary:** A frozen heart is melted and a broken heart is mended. A C.I.A agent with a dark past saves a young mutant and Rogue's life and in return is offered help from Professor Xavier to come to terms with her past. When she spots the attraction between quite a few members of the school, however, she takes matters into her own hands to bring them together and to try and forget about her growing love for a mourning Scott Summers.

**Pairings:** OC/Scott, Rogue/Gambit eventually

**Rating:** M (later chapters)

**Quote of the Day:** "_I am sorry for not getting your fur coat… but if you hadn't chopped its legs off in the first place it could have climbed down on its own!_" (Victor Meldrew – One Foot In The Grave)

**Chapter Summary:** Rogue meets Remy, Jubilee develops a crush, Logan has dirty thoughts

The lyrics at the beginning are from 'Closer to Myself' by Kendall Payne

**Chapter Four **– **Closer To Myself**

Digging deep, I feel my conscience burn  
I need to know who and what I am  
This hunger jolts me from complacency  
Rocks me, makes me meet myself

Jacob walked a limp to remind him  
Of the greater gift of the greater one  
But when I fell, I fell to my own resources

How can I carry the truth if I can't even crawl to you?  
I wanna feel something sweeter than this sin  
Cover me in leaves roll me over again  
I've been everybody else now I want to be  
Something closer to myself

Paint me in a different light  
Shed me yet another coat of skin  
Mark me with ash until I'm clean again.  
'Cause I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired  
I know I can love you, I know that I can

"Logan Ah'll be fayne gawd!"

Logan growled at her and she rolled her eyes and turned to Evangeline who was sketching her a map and directions to the late-night shop that was still open around the block.

"Thanks sugah. Will ya not worry, please? Ah'll be ten minutes."

Waving off Logan's furious protestations and turning on her heel, grabbing her hooded green coat and she slammed the front door in Logan's still ranting face. He turned to look at Evangeline who was watching him with some amusement.

"This is your fault!"

"She'll be fine, stop trying to act like her father… all it's gonna do is drive the girl insane."

Logan halted mid-rant and glared at her as she went about the study switching off lights and putting out the fire still burning in the grate.

"How did you know I wasn't her father?" She paused and looked up at him. "Some people have made that mistake before."

She shrugged and bent down to retrieve a couple of books that had been left open on the floor. Carefully marking the pages with slips of paper borrowed from the desk she closed them and slid them affectionately back onto the shelves.

"Female intuition."

He snorted and rummaged in his pocket for a cigar, he was about to light it when he was distracted by the sight of Evangeline leaning over to blow out the candles lining the mantelpiece. Her hair had managed to struggle out of its bun and dark coffee coloured curls were fluttering over her forehead, her huge almond-shaped dark eyes reflected the dying embers of the fire below her. Snapping out of it Logan gave his head a fierce shake and turned his back on her as he searched for his lighter. _She's only a kid you pervert_.

He shut his eyes in frustration when he still couldn't find his precious lighter; when he opened them she was standing right in front of him. He was wondering how she had managed to get so close without him knowing when she took his face in her hands and pulled it down towards hers. Her soft hands burned into the sensitive skin of his cheeks as she drew him closer, for a split-second his eyes flickered to her lips edging ever nearer. It took him a moment to realise that she was very gently blowing against the end of his cigar; it flickered briefly before flaring to life between them.

She took a step back from him, her hands leaving his face and dropping into the pockets of her skirt. She stared at him for a moment before flashing him a bright smile and quickly leaving the room. Logan stared at the half-open door for a moment, taking the cigar from his mouth and staring down at it blankly. He sighed and shoved it back between his lips;

"You really need to get laid, bub."

* * *

Rogue smiled proudly when she finally found the entrance to the shop, briskly gathering the things she had come out for she paid for them and hurried out. She was halfway around a corner when someone grabbed her and shoved her forwards. Stumbling she landed hard on her hands and knees. A strong kick to her ribs sent her sprawling face-first onto the ground. Rolling over she caught the foot that was swinging once more for her and twisted it round, bringing the owner down hard against the concrete besides her. Kicking him away from her she scrambled to her feet, already in fighting-stance as Logan had taught her before her attacker was even onto his hands and knees.

He lumbered to his feet and staggered a little towards her, his twisted ankle barely holding his weight before he was suddenly knocked to the ground by a flash of bright light. Rogue stared through dazzled eyes to try and locate where the light had come from, before she could however a shout rang out.

"There!"

The sound of dozens of pairs of pounding feet filled her head before something grabbed a hold of her elbow and dragged her into the darkness of a nearby alley. An arm pinned her to the wall while a gloved hand clapped over her mouth. Raising her angry eyes she glared at the red on black ones staring back at her. He raised a finger to his lips in the darkness as he removed his hand from her mouth. The footsteps had passed them for now but she knew they'd be back. She stepped out of the alley and turned to him;

"Wha' did ya do that for?"

He crinkled his brow at her but before he could reply the shouts returned and they glanced at each other. Simultaneously they ran. Rogue hated running from a fight, she was very like Logan in that respect, but even she knew that a twenty-to-one fight would do her some damage. She could see a gleaming black bike parked at the corner of the street which was where he seemed to be leading her. They could hear the shouting of the men as they raced after them; it was only a matter of time before they caught up. He climbed onto the bike and held a hand out for her but Rogue hesitated.

"Ya'll could be a murderer or somethin'."

He raised an eyebrow at her and she flushed, but stared determinedly back at him.

"Remy isn't a murderer."

"Don'tcha think that's wha' a murderer would say?"

Remy raised his eyes to the star-speckled sky.

"It's wha' a normal person would be sayin', _chere_."

"Well yeah… but it's wha' a murderer would say." Rogue insisted defiantly.

"Look jus' get on de bike."

Rogue narrowed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest, taking a step back from the truck.

"Don' boss me around."

"I'm not _chere_… jus' come on **please** get on de bike."

Desperation tinged Remy's voice as the shouts got nearer, the pounding of running footsteps accompanying them.

"Ah've not worked out if Ah should or not yet."

Remy gritted his teeth in frustration and leaned towards Rogue.

"Well could you be workin' it out faster?" She glared at him. "Jus' get on de bike!"

Rogue took a further step away from him shaking her head and lowering her arms to her sides.

"Now ya totally soundin' killer-ish."

"Do murderers generally stop to fight a bunch of bigger _hommes_ away from _beau_ young _femmes_ in the middle of the night?"

Rogue shrugged, her gloved hands fiddling at her belt as her eyes flickered nervously to where the men were definitely getting closer.

"Mebbe you're a rapist."

Remy hung his head in despair, silently cursing himself for ever stopping to help anyone in his entire lifetime.

"_Incroyable_! Remy not a rapist."

"That's wha' a rapist would say."

Remy's eyes flashed angrily.

"I have never forced myself on a _dame_ in my life _chere_… I'm French!"

Rogue cocked her head to the side.

"And that makes a difference?"

"_Baise_! Get off de bike… now."

Rogue lifted her eyebrows and stared at him glaring down at her.

"Ah'm not on your bike."

Remy hissed at her.

"Well get on it den Remy can have de pleasure of kicking you off it."

Rogue's reply was lost when a hail of bullets rained down on them puncturing the sides of the road around them but miraculously missing the bike. Rogue darted onto the bike without another word and Remy had slammed it into gear and was already racing towards the mansion before Rogue had even fully gripped his sides for safety.

* * *

"I told you she shouldn't have gone out alone in strange town in the middle of the night!"

Logan seemed to be focussing his anger entirely on Evangeline after he had been told what had happened. Evangeline, however, was merely lying on a couch with her head buried in her book, one foot crossed over the other and tapping out an undecipherable beat over the arm of the sofa. Logan stopped his furious pacing and glared down at her oblivious head, he quickly snatched the book out of her hands forcing her to look up at him.

"Hey!"

"Have you even been listening to anything I just said?"

Evangeline stared up at him towering over her, lazy amusement flickering in her dark eyes. Logan was not used to being ignored full stop but being as angry as he was now and still being ignored only enraged him further.

"Fine."

Turning on his heel he moved to cross the room, her book still clutched tightly in his hand.

"My book!"

He ignored her and carried on walking, until he felt something hot against his back and smelt burning. Turning he saw licks of fire dancing over her fingertips as she rose to her feet, seemingly a lot taller than he remembered. She advanced on him and he watched her warily, sussing out how much danger she was likely to pose to him. She held out her hand for her book and he was struck by a sudden bout of childishness.

He held it up above his head as high as he could.

"Hey that's not fair."

Jumping up she nearly gripped it but he swiftly swung it out of her reach and she glowered at him before darting towards the book he now held behind his back. When he again thwarted her attempt she put her hands on her hips and glared hatefully at him. Quick as lightening she shot out her hand to hit him and he gripped it in his spare hand, holding it high away from his face. She lifted her knee towards his groin and he used her captured hand to spin her around until her back was pressed against him.

"Now that's not very nice."

"Just give me my book back." She hissed.

He leant forwards, her scent overpowering his senses as her body trembled indignantly in his embrace. Her hair smelt of peaches as she threw back her head haughtily trying to regain the upper hand by wriggling in his grip. He only held on tighter, his arm still clutching her hand in a bone-breaking grip across her chest. She froze when she heard him sniffing her hair and his grip on her hand gradually eased until he had let her go entirely. She didn't move.

Slowly she turned to face him; her eyes wary and filled with uncertainty, their noses were inches apart. A growl sounded deep in Logan's throat and she swallowed against her dry mouth, licking her lips unconsciously. Logan's slip on control meant he forgot he was holding a large heavy book in his hand; it slid from his fingers and plunged to the floor with a deafening thud startling them both.

Breaking eye contact he stooped to collect the book but by the time he had straightened up she had disappeared. He sighed and rubbed a rough hand over his face, shaking himself and cracking his neck. _What the hell's wrong with you? She's hardly older than the kids at the Mansion and you've perving on her you sick fuck._ Sighing again he looked down at the book still cradled in his hands; _Jane Eyre_. He dropped it carefully onto the cushion of the sofa and headed up to bed.

* * *

Jonah was passing by the library when he heard someone cursing… loudly and fluently. Peeking around the door he found one of the girls from America glaring at a dozen open books and looking thoroughly miserable. He looked down at his hungry stomach before sighing; he could never resist a good deed. Crossing the room he slid into a seat opposite the girl who stared up at him curiously.

"Problems?"

She sighed and leaned back moodily in her chair, slamming the top book closed.

"Stupid science. I've never been able to do it. I guess its cos I ain't blue." She muttered dolefully.

Jonah wrinkled his brow in confusion but didn't bother to pursue it any further as he pulled the books towards him across the table.

"Oh this stuff is easy…" She shot him a dirty look and he continued hastily. "Once you know how to do it."

She continued to glare at him so he hurriedly pulled her books closer towards him and checked through the little work she had managed.

"You haven't done that bad… look all you've done wrong is gone left instead of right on the table."

She leaned forwards as he ran his finger down the table on her work and the question; he was right.

"Hey wow I can do it!"

He grinned at her excitement before flushing when his stomach let out a plaintive growl for attention. She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Look…" She paused.

"Jonah."

"Jonah." She grinned at him. "If you'll help me with this pile of coma-inducing junk… I'll buy ya some food?"

He laughed and nodded, his stomach growled loudly again and she laughed.

"Deal… if we can eat first."

"Why don't we do both? I'll dig up some food in the kitchen while you look at what I gotta do." She wrinkled her nose and prodded a nearby book with her fingernail distastefully. "And then we eat as we work?"

Jonah nodded approvingly; "Not a bad idea."

"Trust me; I'm female… we're the brains behind every great operation in this world."

Jonah laughed as someone approached their table, he looked up to see another American girl watching them curiously.

"Now that's the first intelligent thing I've ever heard you say, Jubilee."

Jubilee scowled at her and stuck her tongue out.

"I'll leave you girls alone and see if I can get some food."

Jonah hurriedly exited the room on his search for food and Kitty sank into his abandoned chair.

"He's cute!"

Jubilee rolled her eyes, determined not to agree with Kitty… but then again she definitely wasn't disagreeing either.

* * *

**Christiana Anderson** – I do have plans to continue writing but since we're back at college now I've got loads of coursework to do and exams in January so updates aren't really gonna be quick I'm afraid 


	5. Magic

**Disclaimer:** I own anything you don't recognize that's about it

**Full Summary:** A frozen heart is melted and a broken heart is mended. A C.I.A agent with a dark past saves a young mutant and Rogue's life and in return is offered help from Professor Xavier to come to terms with her past. When she spots the attraction between quite a few members of the school, however, she takes matters into her own hands to bring them together and to try and forget about her growing love for a mourning Scott Summers.

**Pairings:** OC/Scott, Rogue/Gambit eventually, multiple pairings

**Rating:** M (later chapters)

**Quote of the Day:** "_I still maintain that he kicked himself in the balls._" (Kat Stratford – 10 Things I Hate About You)

**Chapter Summary:** outfits galore and a night out

The lyrics at the beginning are from 'Magic' by Blondie

**Chapter Five **– **Magic**

I'm hot as a fire burning bright I feel as empty as air  
There is no sense of balance  
In the howling wind that calls to me  
I can feel it everywhere but it's invisible to me  
Distractions and spirit find me floating in a magnetic sea  
The nights are phosphorescent  
And the days are beautiful and bright  
Until whispering mist it comes falling down on me  
Oh there's fire burning  
Looking for the magic  
In the night time all this  
Brings the magic back to me  
I'm looking for the magic in the places I remember it to be  
It's in the night time alleys  
Winding through my deepest memory  
And just one simple thought brings the magic back to me  
I'm looking for the magic in the places I remember it to be  
And just one simple thought brings the magic back to me

"Come on… details."

Startled Rogue looked up from where her nose was buried in her assigned English Literature book. Jubilee stood over her with her hands on her hips, Kitty and Laurel just behind her looking amused.

"Details of what?"

Jubilee threw her hands up in the air; "PAH! Don't give me that young lady. Details on Mr Tall-dark-and-exceedingly-handsome."

"Not to mention his perfectly wicked come-to-bed eyes and seductive drawl." Kitty sighed.

Rogue flushed and pulled her book up in front of her again; "I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh no… you are not getting out of it that easily." Jubilee snatched her book from her and slung it across the room away from her.

"Hey!"

"No come on, gossip. You tell me yours and I'll tell you mine."

Jubilee dropped down onto a tall stool on the other side of the breakfast bar from Rogue. Rogue was about to open her mouth and tell Jubilee exactly where she could stick her gossip when the swinging kitchen door opened and the object of their conversation sauntered in, followed by a few other guys.

Kitty choked on her glass of milk when she realised they were mostly topless and very sweaty.

"God bless basketball." Laurel muttered, nudging Kitty in the ribs. She hastily closed her mouth and turned back around.

"_Dames de matin_."

Rogue flushed and hunched over her glass of juice at the sound of the smooth Cajun drawl.

"What have you boys been up to?" Jubilee questioned, eying their sweating torsos beadily.

"Basketball." Bobby replied cheerfully, reaching around her for her can of soda.

Remy eyed Rogue curiously as she stared fixedly at the drink in her glass, her fingertip running nervously around its edge. She seemed to calm down the instant Laurel perched herself on the table next to her, her long legs swinging idly as she chatted to Piotr.

"So what have you been up to then?"

Jubilee snatched her can back from Bobby who smirked shamelessly, avoiding her poke aimed at his ribs.

"We were just discussing our recent romantic encounters."

"Romantic… yeah right." Rogue muttered.

Remy raised an eyebrow and slipped gracefully into the seat besides her.

"Why who have you been getting all hot and bothered over? Ow don't pinch!" Bobby wailed as Kitty hurriedly attempted to shut him up.

"Nevermind. Anyway we're going clubbing tonight. Wanna come with?"

Remy shifted his gaze over to Jubilee who was swinging dangerously on her stool.

"_Purqoui pas_."

Jubilee shot a glance at Laurel who spoke French, she nodded his agreement and Jubilee grinned.

"We're going to get our Rogue here all sexy-ied up."

Rogue hurriedly kicked Jubilee under the table, hard. Remy cast her an amused glance which she returned with a black scowl.

"Hey I want to come!" Jubilee rolled her eyes at Bobby who was pouting.

"Just as long as you keep it on a low… we don't want the Professor finding out."

"Do you honestly think I'm that stupid?" Bobby bristled. Kitty snorted and turned away to hide her laughter.

"I really hope that was a rhetorical question." Rogue muttered and Remy laughed earning a dirty look from a wounded Bobby.

"What was that Rogue?"

"Nothin', sugah." She smiled sweetly at him and he grudgingly turned away, slumping against the table and prodding moodily at the Formica.

"Come on girls, we have outfits to decide on."

Jonah lifted his eyebrows at Laurel who was instantly joined by her female companions.

"It's six-thirty. What time do you normally go clubbing in America?"

Kitty stuck her tongue out at him.

"_Mon ami_ don't you know 'ow long it takes de_ femmes_ to dress?"

Jubilee, who had been passing behind him to join her friends, gave him a harsh slap across the back of the head.

"And if we didn't make an effort you blokes would only bitch and moan about it so go suck a lemon."

Rogue stifled a burst of laughter and hurriedly darted out of the room, avoiding Remy's reproachful gaze.

* * *

"Are ya sure the Professah's gonna allow this?"

"Pfft… who cares! How often are we going to get the chance to party in London?"

Rogue still looked hesitant as she watched Kitty and Jubilee getting ready to go out.

"Rogue, babe… you gotta loosen up doll."

Rogue bristled and sat up straighter on her bed, glaring at Jubilee's back as she dug around in her bag for something to wear.

"And what's tha' supposed ta mean?"

Kitty sensed the tension in her voice and she hurried over to Rogue, sitting down on the floor at her feet and gripping her hands in hers.

"You're so tense about people not touching you…" Rogue opened her mouth furiously but Kitty held up her hand and continued talking. "With good reason I know, but girl you have to let go some times, you can't be constantly on the defensive."

"She's right, you know we ain't never gonna letcha get hurt… and Wolverine definitely won't."

Kitty nodded at Jubilee's muffled contribution as she bent even further over the bag looking for something.

"So come on, we'll get you all dressed up pretty and we'll all have a great time, OK?"

Rogue scowled at her before slowly grinning, nodding at the beaming look on Kitty's face.

"Ah ha! Eureka!"

Jubilee finally emerged from the bag, her hand held aloft and clutching a silky grey garment. Before anyone could say anything the briefest of knocks was heard before the door was swung open and a boy stalked in, depositing an armload of fresh towels onto the end of Kitty's bed.

"Whoa! Hey look fella; I dunno what its like over here but where we come from guys don't just go a-wandering into girls rooms."

He turned around and all three could see he had on a pair of dark glasses which completely hid his eyes from view and a beanie hat tugged down over his hair. From the way he was holding his head Jubilee had the distinct impression he was blind, she hurriedly apologised.

"Well I guess ya can stay."

She reached up and pulled her white t-shirt up over her head, a funny noise was heard and all three girls turned once more to look at the boy still stood in the middle of the room.

"Hey wait a minute…"

Jubilee reached out and snatched the beanie from his head, ruffled ice-blond locks waved around his temples as he removed the dark glasses.

"Bobby! Get out you little perv!"

Not even bothering to try and hide her upper body, very obviously bared as she was still clad in only her black combats and her bra, Jubilee threw a nearby cushion at him as he laughed and darted out of the room.

Laughing at the look on Kitty's stunned face Jubilee nudged her friend; "Hey! Surely that stunt didn't come as a total surprise? You know what the guys are like."

Kitty shook her head; "No I guess I really shouldn't let it surprise me."

Jubilee nodded and went back to getting ready, wriggling out of her combats and sliding into a pair of low-slung jeans. She tossed the green top at Rogue who caught it and held it up against her with a dubious look.

"This is such a bad idea."

* * *

"I'm not going down there dressed like this!"

Laurel rolled her eyes and gripped Kitty's upper arm tightly, dragging her around the corner and onto the landing. They could hear the boys chattering below them in the entrance hall as she watched Jubilee putting the finishing touches to her outfit.

"Come on girl, you look great. Thanks in large part… to me."

Kitty rolled her eyes at Jubilee who was surveying her work carefully, reaching out to fiddle with her hair again.

"Jubilee! If going down there's the only way to stop you pawing me I guess I'll take the easy way out."

They watched in amusement as Kitty marched down the stairs to join the boys, her rather tight jeans clutching to her every move.

"Close your mouth." She snapped at a gaping Piotr as she folded her arms, one bare and one in a droopy off-the-shoulder sleeve.

"Jubilee get your ass down here right now!" She bellowed, tossing her head back to watch her friend, her sleek rippling ringlets bouncing around her face.

Jubilee sighed and winked at Rogue and Laurel, making her way down the stairs striking a pose on every odd step. She had managed to dig up a pair of ripped and ragged black jeans and had wriggled her way into a formfitting oriental yellow dress which definitely emphasised everything she had. Her hair was pulled from her face by a pair of barrettes and her eyes had been done up to stress the peculiar shape of them.

"Come on you two we ain't got all night, I hear more than a few strong shots calling my name."

Laurel laughed and headed down to meet them all, her hips swayed confidently in their fitted leather trousers. Her white top, cut away just below her breasts, clung to her in a few more-than-interesting places and the loose sleeves that had been ripped from an old black and white striped top were covering her arms from mid-upper arm downwards. A short-sleeved black denim jacket, spray-painted in silver across the back '_Queen of the Fucking Universe_' and clumpy black Doc Martins splashed with all different coloured paints finished the look.

As they waited for Rogue she reached up idly and tied her hair back in a long messy ponytail leaving Bobby gawping at her exposed stomach. Tapping her black-chipped nails impatiently she watched Jubilee flirting quite openly with Jonah and smirked, lowering her black-outlined eyes and shaking her head. A cough at the top of the stairs distracted her and she turned to see Remy smugly leading Rogue down the stairs, stopping to allow her to join them just before him as he none-too-subtly studied her outfit and the assets it revealed.

Her silver-grey mini-dress clung to every curve, wrapping her shoulders in thin silk and pulled in at the waist and just below her breasts. A slash in the fabric from her right shoulder diagonally down to her left hip exposed a black cut-off top and a tantalising amount of flesh before it met a pair of black cut-off leggings head on. Black leg-warmers covered almost all the bare leg and complimented her Chinese-style black pumps covered in swirling silver-glitter patterns. As he watched her greet Bobby, Jonah and Piotr he reached out a lazy hand to touch the black fabric of the cut-off top where it was bared beneath the open-backed dress and she jumped.

"Alright, now that we're all here let's get this freak show on the road."

Rogue tucked a stray loosely curled strand of hair behind her ear, glittering with jewelled earrings, and nodded eagerly. Jubilee popped her gum loudly and linked one arm through Bobby's arm and the other through Jonah's and marched them out to the garage, closely followed by a blushing Kitty, Piotr's hand on her back guiding her kindly. Seeing Laurel alone behind them all Remy fell back a little to walk with her.

"You look _très beau_." He cocked his head to the side and studied her outfit. "Maybe a _peu_ scary… but _très beau_."

Laurel cast him a sideways glance; he was definitely attractive, but not her type. "Thanks Cajun. You look good too… maybe a little bit seedy… but very cool."

He laughed at her teasing and shifted his gaze to watching Rogue giggle with Kitty, every now and then glancing back at him. Her hair had been half piled up in ringlets atop her head and the other half trailed down her back, glowing beautifully in the moonlight as they made their way across the lawn.

"She's a nice kid."

He nodded, never taking his gaze from her back and the occasional glimpse of her profile.

"Don't hurt her."

Now he did turn to look at her, she was watching Rogue calmly.

"I mean it… don't hurt her."

He returned his gaze to the group in front of them now crowded around the flashest car in the garage.

"Remy don't plan to… _chere_."

"Good… now that the formalities are over, let's go get smashed."

Opening the driver's door Laurel slid in, nabbing Jubilee's ever present sunglasses as she passed her.

"Where to?"

Jonah looked thoughtful for a moment before giving her quick directions to a lively club on the edge of town.

"Question; how do you start the car without keys?"

Laurel glanced at Bobby in the rear-view mirror; he had Jubilee sprawled on his knee again with her legs tucked between Jonah's.

"Can you hotwire it?"

Laurel shifted her gaze to a blushing Kitty who was nervously nestled on Piotr's knee; she glanced to the passenger seat where Remy was comfortably slouched, Rogue sideways on his knee. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I could but there's a problem."

"Its illegal." Jubilee chirped looking as though she really couldn't care less.

"Well there's that and also... it takes too damn long." Laurel reached into her boot and drew out a penknife; flicking it open she pressed it into the ignition and turned. The engine roared to life producing an excited cheer from the back seat.

"So this club… wild?"

Jonah nodded his head, shifting uncomfortably when Jubilee's nimble foot slipped out of her boots and moved to massage his inner thigh; he flushed in the darkness of the car.

"Excellent."

Laurel slipped on Jubilee's shades and shifted into gear, racing out of the garage with a furious squealing of tires.

* * *

Ignoring the queue outside the club Laurel marched right up to the door and fluttered her inked eyelashes at the bouncers who instantly let the group enter. Once inside she quickly surveyed the area, a smirk quirking her lips. The place seemed to be a haven for mutants and for humans who respected them; there was no getting into this club unless you were a freak or had one accompanying you.

The walls were black and smeared with multi-coloured fluorescent paints that shone under the black lights flickering backwards and forwards high up in the ceiling along with the typical coloured lights and disco-balls. The upper floor of the club was all balcony, thick flexi-glass used as a floor shot through with tiny dancing lights and a huge piece of glass suspended in the centre by heavy securing cables was filled with the braver dancers, its walls made of chicken-wire fencing.

The lower dance floor consisted entirely of mirrors, tinted mirrors that distorted the reflections of the crowd. The bar ran the entire length of one wall and was made up of luminous coloured blocks lit from the inside, the tall stools blending into them and the staff clad in black standing out. There were booths lining both the lower and upper floors, a dark tinted plate of glass separating one from the other. Their group slipped into one of these, the dark glass table that rose between the old-fashioned, tall-backed leather sofas spray-painted black they were now arranging themselves on, ensuring nothing secret could go on under it.

Instantly a tall beautiful waitress clad in a black shirt and a tight skirt that flashed under the black lights. Taking their order she disappeared back into the crowd, reappearing within seconds with a tray full of drinks that glittered under the miniature multi-coloured lights strung over their heads in the ceiling of the booth.

"This place is ace!"

Laurel turned to look at Jubilee who was bouncing in her chair, her eyes scanning over everything as she gulped her drink down without looking what it was.

"Come on let's dance!"

Before Jonah could protest he had been yanked from his seat and into the centre of the rippling bodies on the dance floor. Kitty and Piotr soon followed, Rogue blushing when Remy held out a partially gloved hand to her as an offer. When they had taken to the floor too Laurel sighed and sat back against her seat, watching them dancing and laughing with an almost wistful look on her face.

* * *

Lifting her bottle to her lips she was about to take a sip when she caught a flash of someone familiar moving through the crowd. Blinking she scanned the area quickly but it was gone, shrugging she sat back in her chair. She tipped her head back to gulp down her drink and she saw it again. Like a figment of her dream come to life as the shadowy stranger weaved a path through the crowds on the floor above her.

On her feet in an instant she kept her eyes fixed on the moving figure as she made her way towards the back of the club, following him. He descended the stairs and disappeared into a nearby doorway. Almost shoving a busy couple out of her way she ran the last few steps to the door, pressing her ear to it she strained to hear but even with her advanced hearing she could discern nothing over the pounding music. Trying the door-knob she found it locked and she once again dug into her boot for her penknife, pressing it into the lock and jiggling it about a little until it gave with a slight wrenching sound drowned out by the thundering bass vibrating the floor beneath her.

Pulling open the door a crack she glanced in, her sharp eyes picking out shapes in the blackness but nothing distinguishable. Pulling the door open further she scanned the room but it was empty, nothing but a few cleaning appliances to be seen. Still she couldn't quite convince herself that she had been imagining it. Whipping around when she sensed someone behind her she came face to face with Scott who was staring at her curiously under his glasses.

Without saying anything to him she turned to look once more at the cupboard but it was still most definitely empty. Scott placed a somewhat cautious hand on her shoulder and she turned to look at him. She had a vulnerable look on her face he had never seen there before and a momentary lull in the music allowed him to hear the broken softness in her voice.

"I thought I saw…"

She cast a distressed look over the now closed door to the cupboard again and he moved his hand to between her shoulder blades, guiding her firmly but gently out of a nearby back door. They emerged into a side alley next to the club, the music dulling but not leaving them completely as he closed the door behind them. Misty-drizzle drifted over them and she shivered unconsciously.

She stood in silence as he draped his jacket over her shoulders, her eyes fixed on the ground. He was no empath but he could feel the pain and confusion rolling off her in waves. Without seeming to notice what she was doing she curled her fingers into the edges of his jacket and pulled it tighter around her. Reluctant to disturb her when she seemed to be thinking terribly hard about something, Scott was very aware that they were likely to be very ill if they didn't get inside somewhere warm soon.

"Laurel?"

Jerking as if she'd been in contact with something burning hot she snapped out of her daze and lifted her head up to look at him. Her sharp eyes could pick out the outline of his own, hidden behind his ruby glasses and she watched his gaze flicker over her.

"What was in that cupboard?"

She shook her head, looking off to one side; "I thought I saw something… something I've been looking for… for a very long time."

He moved to brush her sodden side-fringe out of her eyes, an involuntary gesture that surprised him as much as it amused her.

"You're getting wet."

He nodded, opening his mouth to reply when a loud whistle reverberated around the alley startling him. He glanced at Laurel who was gazing at their companions without a single trace of surprise. She had probably heard them coming before they even knew where the both of them were.

"Come on lovebirds its about to start pissing it down and I for one would rather be elsewhere when the drunkards are kicked out of the club at closing time."

Laurel shook her head at Jubilee who was being given a piggy-back ride by Jonah.

"Well since I'm the only one that managed to stay basically sober I suppose I better do the driving, although at least two of you can go soak Scott's car."

Jubilee and Jonah hurriedly bags-ied a ride in Scott's latest sporty-flashy number and he didn't look too pleased with it as they dripped all over his suede seats. He drove behind Laurel all the way home, every now and then catching a glimpse of her profile as she turned to talk to Kitty in the passenger seat.

He wasn't quite sure what had compelled him to leave the mansion earlier, he had awoken from a light slumber by the sound of an engine roaring and fearing Wolverine had stolen his car again he had raced down to the garage. Glad to see it was someone else's car he had headed into the kitchen for a drink where he had found Wolverine nursing a beer and looking glum.

After a few light enquiries and after talking him into visiting the garage he had immediately smelt Laurel's presence, among others, and Scott had followed them almost instantly. He may be the leader of the X-Men but he wasn't out of touch with the trends yet and he knew they'd be at the trendiest Mutant bar in London.

Pulling into the garage behind Laurel he watched the rather drunken couples making their way, with some difficulty, across the lawn and into the mansion. He made his way over to Laurel who was leaning casually against the side of the car, her hand running over the smooth bonnet appreciatively and his jacket dangling from her spare hand.

When he reached her she stretched it out towards him; "Thanks."

He took it, their fingers brushing briefly and he felt sparks firing both in his chest and in his loins… a feeling he hadn't experienced since before Alkali Lake. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about his reaction to her. She waved her hand in front of his glasses.

"Scott?"

She whistled and he smirked at her, she rolled her eyes and returned to stroking the car lovingly.

"You like it?"

She nodded; "It's beautiful."

"Most girls say that, they only appreciate how a car looks." He grumbled.

"They don't appreciate the feel of it beneath you, the sound of it purring." She moved away from the car, and took a step towards him. Slowly circling him as she spoke she ran her fingertips over his soaked abdomen and he unconsciously swallowed, his gaze fixed firmly on the car in front of him. Her voice was hypnotic as she spoke, her words laced with suggestion and he felt himself stirring as she circled him again.

"I hear you have quite a collection of cars back in the US."

He nodded, not being able to bring himself to speak.

"Maybe you can show me when we get back?"

He nodded again, acutely aware of the suggestive tone of her voice sending thrills down his spine. His blood couldn't work out whether it should rush to his face or to the opposite end of his body as she took a step around him and made her way towards the mansion.

"Thanks for the jacket."

His voice-box engaged again as he watched her leave and he managed to croak out; "Any time."

Unsure if she had heard him he gave himself a violent shake and resisted the urge to see if his jacket carried her scent now.

* * *

**Christiana Anderson** – well here's the newest update, I wrote it instead of my essay… oops 


	6. Sweet Sacrifice

**Disclaimer:** I own anything you don't recognize that's about it

**Full Summary:** A frozen heart is melted and a broken heart is mended. A C.I.A agent with a dark past saves a young mutant and Rogue's life and in return is offered help from Professor Xavier to come to terms with her past. When she spots the attraction between quite a few members of the school, however, she takes matters into her own hands to bring them together and to try and forget about her growing love for a mourning Scott Summers.

**Pairings:** OC/Scott, Rogue/Gambit eventually, multiple pairings

**Rating:** M (later chapters)

**Quote of the Day:** _"I'm sorry I don't know about you but personally I need a bit of a warning before I hear the word 'pubic' at 9.30 in the morning."_ – Jenny in Psychology

The lyrics at the beginning are from 'Sweet Sacrifice' by Evanescence

**Chapter Six**– **Sweet Sacrifice**

It's true, we're all a little insane  
But its so clear  
Now that I'm unchained  
Fear is only in our minds  
Taking over all the time  
Fear is only in our minds but its taking over all the time  
You poor sweet innocent thing  
Dry your eyes and testify  
You know you live to break me- don't deny  
Sweet sacrifice  
One day I'm gonna forget your name  
And one sweet day, you're gonna drown in my lost pain  
Fear is only in our minds  
Taking over all the time  
Fear is only in our minds but its taking over all the time  
You poor sweet innocent thing  
Dry your eyes and testify  
And oh you love to hate me don't you, honey?  
I'm your sacrifice.  
I dream in darkness  
I sleep to die  
Erase the silence  
Erase my life  
Our burning ashes  
Blacken the day  
A world of nothingness  
Blow me away  
Do you wonder why you hate?  
Are you still too weak to survive your mistakes?  
You poor sweet innocent thing  
Dry your eyes and testify  
You know you live to break me- don't deny  
Sweet sacrifice

"What do you think?"

Jubilee held a dress up against her in front of the full-length mirror. Laurel turned to look at her and frowned.

"Nah not your style kid."

Kitty snorted and Jubilee rolled her eyes as Laurel took the dress from her.

"You should try it on Rogue."

Rogue jumped and turned away from the rack of sweaters she had been flicking through idly.

"No."

Laurel cocked her head to the side as Rogue deliberately turned her back on the dress that was very revealing.

Laurel eyed Rogue's turned back for a moment before shrugging and turning back to the dresses as Jubilee disappeared into the changing rooms with at least a dozen dresses over her arm.

* * *

They eventually managed to leave the city centre, each with bagfuls of new things weighing them down. Laurel opened the car and they piled their new clothes into the boot of the flashy car, borrowed from Scott that morning.

"How did you get Scott to lend you his car?" Rogue asked when they were on their way back to the mansion.

Laurel shrugged her shoulders, her sunglasses hiding her eyes from the curious girls as she pressed down on the gas a little to overtake a little old lady in a tiny rackety car.

"I used my feminine wiles." She said evasively.

In reality she had leant over the table a little that morning at breakfast and given him a sultry look as she was asking. She smiled at the thought of how he had blushed as her position revealed the black lace of her bra under her v-necked top, he was just too cute.

"Turn the radio on!" Jubilee insisted, leaning over Kitty in the front seat to fiddle with the radio.

She eventually found a song they all agreed on and the four of them were singing, rather loudly and not particularly in tune, to Queen when Laurel felt the hairs at the back of her neck begin to prickle. She glanced in her mirror and then the rear-view mirror. She was sure she had seen that black car in the car park with them earlier.

Beginning to get a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach she wriggled in her seat a little.

"Fasten your seatbelt." She told Jubilee.

Surprised at her rather nasty tone of voice the three younger girls looked at her nervously. She continued to watch the car behind them, she took a random left turn and it followed them. When the approached a roundabout she circled it twice and it followed them.

"Shit." She muttered, speeding up and turning off the roundabout to random outraged honking as she cut across someone.

"Laurel!" Rogue shouted as Jubilee slammed into her and she nearly put her head through the window.

"We're being followed." She informed them, speeding up even further as the girls looked out of the back window at the black car now weaving through the traffic after them.

Laurel dug around in her pocket for her phone, almost losing control of the car when an asshole cut across her to do a u-turn. Keeping her eyes on the road she pressed her speed-dial and put the phone to her ear. She balanced it between her shoulder and chin as she put both hands back onto the steering. She overtook a huge lorry barrelling down the road and Kitty squealed and put her hands over her eyes.

"Hold on." She told the girls as she cut through a red light and took a sharp left onto a busy road.

She was busy weaving in and out of the traffic to various cries and squeals from her passengers when Scott finally answered his phone.

"Hello?"

Laurel slammed on the breaks when the alley they were cutting through turned out to be a dead-end. Reversing with a loud protesting squeal from the tyres she swung the car down another alley just as the black one pursuing them thundered down the alley behind them.

"We're being followed." Laurel told Scott, wincing when they narrowly missed slamming into a car as they emerged from the alley.

"And they ain't friendly!" Jubilee bellowed as the sound of gun fire exploded from behind them.

The bullets tore into the wall of a nearby show as they passed and Laurel pressed the accelerator even further.

"If you don't want your car to end up as scrap metal you better get some help." Laurel snapped into the phone as they squeezed between two lorries.

"There's a tracker on the car." Scott told her, already racing down the corridor to alert the others.

"Try not to take your time!" Rogue shouted as the back window shattered, showering glass onto her and Jubilee as they threw themselves down onto the backseat.

"Keep your heads down." Laurel said as Kitty curled up as much as she could in the front seat.

Seeing a nearby water fountain she told Kitty to take the wheel and keep the car steady. She pressed the electric window button and leaned out precariously. Her keen senses told her the exact distance between their car, the fountain and the one behind them. She reached out a hand as they hurtled past the fountain. The stone fountain exploded and the water formed a solid block in the air before her. She forced it towards the car chasing them and it hit the glass of the window so hard it shattered.

She hurriedly took the wheel back from Kitty and took a sharp right as her phone began to ring. Kitty answered it for her, yelling over yet more shots.

"Scott says you gotta take the next left then a right and they're waiting in an empty car park for us."

Laurel nodded, swinging them around the corner as instructed. She gunned the engine as they approached the car park.

"Hang on."

She swung the car into a hundred-and-eighty degree spin. When it stopped she threw open her door, grabbed Kitty and hauled her out of her door behind her. Rogue and Jubilee piled out of the back behind her. They raced over to where the rest of the X-Men and a few members of the London school were waiting.

The black car roared into the car park, doing a u-turn when whoever was driving saw the group waiting for them. Before they could leave the car park, Evangeline created a huge wall of fire that blocked them from leaving. The heat was so intense if they even attempted to drive through it the petrol would be on fire in seconds.

Instead, the two guys in the car tried running around it. Logan caught them both by the scruffs of the neck and dragged them back to the group. They were struggling and waving their guns about so he knocked their heads together and they slid silently to the floor, unconscious.

"Well, will this help your investigation?" Laurel asked the London group.

One of the men at their feet began wriggling and groaning and Laurel kicked him in the ribs.

"Stay down." She snapped. "Sorry about your car." She said to Scott, sounding genuinely sheepishly when she saw him staring at his car sulkily.

It wasn't that bad, only the back window needing to be replaced and a couple of bullet holes in the bumper of the car. He shrugged one shoulder but she could see he was upset, his cars were special to him and not just because of the impression and flash they gave him.

"I'll help you fix it." She suggested as the rest of the group made their way to various other vehicles.

"You don't have to." He said.

She shook her head and put the keys to the car into his hand, her fingers caressing his palm for a moment.

"I want to." She said, offering him a smile when he finally looked at her.

They were the only ones left in the car park now and she put her hand on his arm.

"We better get back, wouldn't want them worrying about their fearless leader would we?"

He flushed but didn't look particularly unpleased at her teasing. He opened the car door for her and she climbed in.

* * *

"Bah!" Jubilee threw her hands up into the air making the entire bed rock from the force of her movement.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I can't do it."

He shook his head sending his shaggy hair rippling over his forehead; he impatiently shoved it out of the way and shuffled around to sit next to her on her side of the bed.

"Look." He jabbed a finger at a line in the text and she leant forward, squinting at it. "This bit here; is connected to this paragraph. So all you need to remember is this one line."

Jubilee cocked her head to the side and scowled at the line which was both very long and punctuated with long words. Leaning over to another page, which was closer to him than her, she pointed at a highlighted paragraph.

"What about that?"

Glancing up she saw he was very very very close to her, his breath stirring the hair above her ear as he breathed.

"That's very important."

Her eyes focused in on his lips, his words flowing over her head as she unconsciously leaned forwards.

"What are you doing?" He asked, cocking his head to the side and looking at her with a puzzled look on his face.

"I was going to kiss you." She said huffily. "You've ruined it now."

She turned away from him and folded her arms, staring back at the pages before her.

"Oh." He said, blushing. "Feel free to try again whenever you want."

She grinned at him as he went back to marking sections of the text she had to reread and remember.

* * *

A dark shadow fell over her page and Rogue gave a hiss of frustration before throwing down her pen and glaring furiously across the table. Remy smiled serenely back at her and continued flipping a card around and around in his long fingers as he slouched back in his chair, his boots propped up on the table before him.

"Do you mind?"

He cocked his head to one side making his long hair slide downwards into his face and over his crimson eyes. Rogue distinctly heard the group of girls sat behind her tittering at this and it only infuriated her further.

"Should I?"

Leaning back in her chair she regarded him smirking at her through her curtain of white tresses, the rest of her hair was pulled back in an extremely messy bun at the back of her head for now. She shook her hair away from her eyes with a swift flick of her head and stared down her nose at him.

"No, Ah don't suppose you would anyway."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, watching as she scrabbled her numerous papers into book where it lay open and slammed it shut, getting to her feet and making her way towards the door. She jerked to a stop when she felt a hand splayed between her shoulder blades, the heat from it burning through her thin pale green shirt and the black tank top beneath it. Instinct told her to move away from the contact but something else kept her frozen there, even as his finger trailed down her spine and then back up. He traced his fingertip lightly along the skin of her neck and it took her several precious seconds to realise their skin was touching yet she wasn't absorbing him.

As soon as the realisation hit her she felt her skin begin to tingle and she hurriedly stepped away from him. Turning she found him watching her with a totally blank face, a cigarette dangling out of the corner of his mouth drifting smoke wispily before his eyes. Covering her confusion she spun on her heel and darted out of the room.

* * *

**Laivin** – thanks I'm glad you like it 


	7. Hate That I Love You

**Disclaimer:** I own anything you don't recognize that's about it

**Full Summary:** A frozen heart is melted and a broken heart is mended. A C.I.A agent with a dark past saves a young mutant and Rogue's life and in return is offered help from Professor Xavier to come to terms with her past. When she spots the attraction between quite a few members of the school, however, she takes matters into her own hands to bring them together and to try and forget about her growing love for a mourning Scott Summers.

**Pairings:** OC/Scott, Rogue/Gambit eventually, multiple pairings

**Rating:** M (later chapters)

**Quote of the Day:** _"Is that him?" "That's the buffet table." "How will we know if we don't question it?"_ – "Firefly"

The lyrics at the beginning are from 'Hate That I Love You' by Rihanna & Ne-Yo

**Chapter Seven**– **Hate That I Love You**

That's how much I love you  
That's how much I need you  
And I can't stand you  
Must everything you do make me wanna smile  
Can I not like you for a while  
But you won't let me  
You upset me girl  
And then you kiss my lips  
All of a sudden I forget (that I was upset)  
Can't remember what you did  
But I hate it  
You know exactly what to do so that I can't stay mad at you  
For too long that's wrong  
But I hate it  
You know exactly how to touch so that I don't want to fuss and fight no more  
I despise that I adore you  
And I hate how much I love you boy  
I can't stand how much I need you  
And I hate how much I love you boy  
But I just can't let you go  
And I hate that I love you so  
You completely know the power that you have  
The only one makes me laugh  
Said it's not fair  
How you take advantage of the fact that I

Love you beyond the reason why  
And it just ain't right

Laurel was in the kitchen, chewing on a bowl of rather tasteless muesli and reading an article about whether or not owning pets decreased your sex drive. She was leaning over the counter, where the magazine was laid out, so her back was to the door but she still heard Scott enter the kitchen behind her. He had a specific smell; like books, sweat and motor oil.

"You're up late." She commented without turning around, taking another mouthful of the cereal and flipping over the page.

He ran a quick eye over her revealing pyjamas, the tumble of her wavy hair over her shoulders and her bare feet curled against the cold tiled floor. She looked younger and more vulnerable in her Snoopy pyjamas.

"Can't sleep." He said shortly, shoving a hand back through his hair and tugging open the large fridge.

He stared into the fridge for a while before heaving a sigh and slamming it shut as the cold seeped into his jogging bottoms. He leant his back against it and watched Laurel as she put her bowl into the dishwasher and tossed the magazine onto the kitchen table where she had found it.

"I know the feeling."

They stared at each other across the kitchen, silently weighing each other in the harsh artificial light from the overhead spotlights.

"Want to go for a walk?" He asked her, watching her carefully from behind his red goggles.

"Sure." She shrugged, pushing herself away from the counter and crossing the room to the doorway besides him.

They arranged to meet by the front door in a few minutes after they'd changed. Laurel headed to her room silently, padding along the hallways in the eerie silence of the sleeping house. She quickly changed out of her pyjama shorts and t-shirt and pulled on her discarded jeans and a white sweater. She reached up automatically to tie her hair back behind her head and then paused. She let her rumpled curls drop and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She sighed and shook her head, turning away from the mirror and slipping her feet into the white pumps nearby.

He was waiting by the doorway for her, dark jeans and a black long-sleeved t-shirt blending into the darkened hallway. She smiled at him, frowning when she felt a flicker of nervousness tingle in her stomach.

"Ready?" She asked, turning away from him to tug open the front door.

He followed her without replying, shoving his hands into his pockets and surveying the area as they crunched down the driveway.

* * *

"Where are we?" Laurel suddenly asked, stopping in the middle of the road they had been walking along.

Scott stopped besides her and glanced around, seeing nothing but trees on either side of them.

"No idea."

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. They had been wandering for a couple of hours, talking about little things like movies, food, books and cars. If it wasn't for his ever-present red vision, Scott could have sworn they were just two people.

"So how do we get back?" She demanded, spinning in a slow circle as she surveyed their surroundings.

When he didn't answer she swore at him under her breath and turned around, walking back the way they had come. He tilted his head to the side and watched her; she studiously ignored him and carried on walking. Halfway down the deserted road she stopped and turned back to look at him; he was still stood there, framed by moonlight with his hands thrust deep into his pockets.

"Are you planning on spending the night here, Summers?"

He raised his eyebrows and set off down the road towards her, when he finally reached her she was about to start walking again when a drop splashed onto her freckled nose. She slowly tilted her head back and stared up at the velvety sky, another drop landed on her cheek and rolled down it like a crystal tear. Within seconds it was pouring down and Laurel closed her eyes, relishing the feel of the water pounding her body, soaking through her thin sweater.

Scott took a step towards her before he even realised what he was doing, and when she opened her eyes instinctively at his proximity he could tell she was waiting for him to either take the plunge or walk away. Before he could rethink his actions he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against hers. She tasted of rain and milk but before she could kiss him back properly he pulled away. He barely shifted his head an inch from hers as he watched her warily, but there was only curiosity and amusement playing in her dark eyes, her lids half closed and her head still a little to one side.

He continued to watch her and she carried on watching him; he couldn't decide what to do. She made the decision for him and lightly touched the back of his neck, applying just enough pressure to tip his head forward towards hers. Taking the hint he kissed her again, allowing her to lean in towards him this time, her hand tangling in the slick wet hair at the back of his head. Without realising it she dropped the shoes which she had taken off earlier and brought her other hand up to the back of his neck, her fingernails lightly caressing sometimes scratching where his neck melted into his back causing him to shudder.

She deepened the kiss and he drew her closer; his hand at the small of her back pressing her against him. Her top was so wet she might as well not have been wearing it and his hands burned into her skin as his other hand found itself cupping her jaw lightly, his thumb gliding over her moisture-beaded skin.

A lifetime later the rain ceased and they pulled away, Laurel leaning forwards so her forehead was pressed against his collarbone through his wet t-shirt. His hand moved up to the back of her neck, gently running his fingertips over the skin pulled taut there as they waited for their hearts to start beating again and their breathing to regulate. Eventually Laurel lifted her head and looked at him, he looked back; the rain had stopped and the spell that had seized them was dissipating.

Laurel smirked at him and he smirked right back, stooping down to retrieve the fallen shoes. He was about to help her slip them on but thought better of it, he handed them to her and she nodded at him as though in approval of his decision. Without realising she casually placed a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she pulled on her shoes and he gripped her elbow to help her balance.

"Better be getting back I suppose."

Laurel nodded.

"I guess so… you do have to be up early for school tomorrow, don't you?"

He knew she only meant his teaching but the wicked grin she gave him made him flush anyway.

* * *

Rogue and Remy turned slightly on the sofa to where the door had just been thrown open and a furiously giggling Laurel and Scott collapsed inside, barely managing to close the door behind them. Rogue turned to look up at Remy who raised his eyebrows and paused the movie they were watching so they could concentrate on the two.

"Bonne nuit mes amis?"

The pair finally looked up at the couple on the couch and nodded as their mutual laughter began to ease. Rogue smirked at them, taking in their dishevelled appearances.

"Ya'll are wet."

Laurel and Scott glanced down at their clothes as though for confirmation before nodding and bursting into fresh peals of laughter.

"We sort of… got caught in the rain."

Rogue snorted and turned back to Remy who was shaking with laughter. He grinned lazily at her and pressed the play button. The screen jumped back to life and the pair settled back to watching it. Scott and Laurel watched them for a moment in amusement; Rogue was leaning back against the arm of the sofa with her legs thrown over Remy's whose were propped up on the coffee table before them.

"I'm going to go get changed…" Scott nodded at her and she hesitated. "Meet you back here?"

He smiled knowingly and she smirked at him before making her squelching way up the stairs to shower and change.

Scott was already rummaging in the fridge when she entered the kitchen, her still wet hair slicked back from her face emphasizing the silver loops that still glittered at her ears. Her face was clean of all make up and as Scott studied her smiling cheekily at him it occurred to him how much softer and younger she looked without the normal black ringing her eyes.

"So what have we got? I'm starving!"

He handed her a couple of boxes of left-over Chinese take-out and pulled out a plate of cold pizza; her favourite.

"Mmm we have a feast."

She piled the boxes up in her arms and headed out back into the lounge where Rogue and Remy were still engrossed in their movie. Walking behind her Scott smiled at her aimless chatter, she was much more relaxed with them now and she did seem to be genuinely enjoying her time here.

Leading the way she wandered over to the fireplace where a fire was already burning merrily and casting soft curling orange shadows across the floor. She settled down cross-legged before the fire and arranged the boxes to one side of them as Scott joined her. Digging into the pizza straight away he was struck by how innocent she looked with her wet hair pulled back in twin plaits over her shoulders and her Snoopy pyjamas staring insolently up at him. Aware he was watching her she shifted slightly, adjusting the strap on her top and pulling one leg up to her chest suddenly noticing quite how much of her legs she was flashing in her shorts.

* * *

"Goodnight!"

Laurel waved at Rogue and Remy as they left the room much later on into the night. The un-curtained windows exposed the lightening sky as Laurel glanced around at the deserted room. The room was almost entirely dark except for the long patch of light the fire was still throwing off over them. She took a sip of her water and dug a strawberry out from the bowl of fruit besides her.

"So what about you… what was the happiest moment of your life so far?"

Laurel chewed thoughtfully on the strawberry and pushed a now dry strand of hair behind her ear.

"I dunno really… probably when I was about six and I won a fancy-dress competition at school."

Scott raised an eyebrow and she shrugged, chewing on another strawberry and offering him one at the same time; he took it.

"My momma and I stayed up all night making the dress and when my name was called and I had to go up on stage all I could think about was that she didn't need to spend all that time for a stupid competition, but she knew how much it meant to me so she did it anyway."

Laurel looked away from Scott's glasses and stared into the depths of the fire, wetness sparkling in her eyes. She scrubbed a hand over her eyes and got quickly to her feet.

"It's late… well early technically. We should get some sleep."

She leant down before he could even move and held out a hand to him. He knew she was trying to distant herself from him without being rude and he took her hand. He squeezed it briefly, letting it drop and watching her disappear from the room.

* * *

**lovestoread** – thanks here's another chapter for you

**Mary-Jane Gibbson** – sorry it took so long but here's an update

**Hanz the Bunny** – thanks a lot here's a bit of seduction for you lol

**Annawanthat2** – thanks very much I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long I hope you like it


	8. Won't Go Home Without You

**Disclaimer:** I own anything you don't recognize that's about it

**Full Summary:** A frozen heart is melted and a broken heart is mended. A C.I.A agent with a dark past saves a young mutant and Rogue's life and in return is offered help from Professor Xavier to come to terms with her past. When she spots the attraction between quite a few members of the school, however, she takes matters into her own hands to bring them together and to try and forget about her growing love for a mourning Scott Summers.

**Pairings:** OC/Scott, Rogue/Gambit eventually, multiple pairings

**Rating:** M (later chapters)

**Quote of the Day:**

The lyrics at the beginning are from 'Won't Go Home Without You' by Maroon 5

**Chapter Eight**– **Won't Go Home Without You**

I asked her to stay but she wouldn't listen  
She left before I had the chance to say  
The words that would mend the things that were broken  
But now it's far too late, she's gone away  
Every night you cry yourself to sleep  
Thinking: "Why does this happen to me?  
Why does every moment have to be so hard?"  
Hard to believe that  
It's not over tonight  
Just give me one more chance to make it right  
I may not make it through the night  
I won't go home without you  
The taste of your breath, I'll never get over  
The noises that she made kept me awake  
The weight of things that remained unspoken  
Built up so much it crushed us everyday  
Every night you cry yourself to sleep  
Thinking: "Why does this happen to me?  
Why does every moment have to be so hard?"  
Hard to believe that  
It's not over tonight  
Just give me one more chance to make it right  
I may not make it through the night  
I won't go home without you  
Of all the things I felt but never really shown  
Perhaps the worst is that I ever let you go  
I should not ever let you go, oh oh oh  
It's not over tonight  
Just give me one more chance to make it right  
I may not make it through the night  
I won't go home without you

Laurel was awake before she realised why. They'd only been back in the Mansion for a couple of days and she was still a little edgy. The rain was hammering against her window and the wind was rocketing around the house, but that wasn't what had disturbed her. She stayed immobile under her sheets, her sharp eyes scanning every inch of her room but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Two of her guns were in pieces spread out on her desk where she'd been cleaning them earlier, her jacket was motionless on its hook behind her door and the book she'd been reading was opened on the floor by her bed. Once she was sure no one was in her room she slipped out of the sheets and pulled open her door.

Logan was in the middle of the hallway sniffing the air, his bare chest was moving steadily but his ears and nose were twitching suspiciously. His dark gaze caught hers. Now that someone else knew something was wrong she squashed her fear and let the adrenaline take over. Logan moved past her towards the school part of the building and she moved deeper into the dorm rooms to wake the children.

Bobby appeared looking ruffled and sleepy but he listened attentively to Laurel's warning and he was already waking up his roommate when she moved on down the hall. To give them their due there was very little panic, especially for their age, as the children got dressed and moved down the back stairs towards the garage.

Laurel finally caught up with Logan in the entrance hall. There was blood on his hands.

"What's happening?"

Barely more than a whisper but Logan heard it and he led her towards a window.

"Assassins. Dozens of 'em."

Laurel sharpened her gaze until she could pick out the dark shapes moving amongst the trees in the garden. She could hear them on the walls.

"Whatever they want… they want it bad." She murmured. Logan grunted. "The kids are heading to the vehicles."

Logan nodded and moved away from the window as the X-Men assembled behind them in various states of undress but looking alert and ready to fight. Jonah, Sawyer and Evangeline, who had accompanied them back to the States until the necklace was safe, were behind them. Scott was their leader but they were all looking to Logan for orders. Under any other circumstances Scott would have found this unbelievably irritating but in situations like this he had learned to rely on Logan's senses. Logan gave them their positions and they dispersed silently. Scott caught Laurel's hand as she moved to pass him.

"Be careful, we don't know who or what they are."

She squeezed his hand and gave him a searching look. She wasn't used to being part of a team, she was usually on her own with only her own ass to protect. She could feel the responsibility of the children weighing down on her, pinching her insides. She could see worry in Scott's eyes through his lenses and her lips quirked despite the situation. No one had ever worried about her before. No one had ever had to. She was more dangerous than whoever was coming after a group of children. She pressed her lips briefly against Scott's, his stubble grazing her cheeks. Logan had an urgent look to him as he emerged from the dark room followed by Evangeline.

"Go with the others." He told her gruffly without looking at her, his piercing gaze focused on the hallway behind them.

She shook her head but they didn't have time to argue when a blurry figure dressed all in black dropped down from the ceiling into the middle of them. Evangeline stumbled backwards into Logan and he caught her automatically. The figure moved too fast for Scott to target him but Laurel had better reflexes. She'd whipped her leg around and caught the side of his head with her bare heel before he could move again and he dropped like a stone.

Logan had yanked Evangeline against him, away from the attack and he could feel her trembling. He also felt it when she swallowed her panic. She slid out of his grasp and a glowing ball of fire erupted from her palm. It illuminated the hall until they could see the other two figures lurking in the shadows. As soon as they were seen they attacked but they had lost their element of surprise. Scott blasted one and Evangeline grabbed the other. Her hand was still on fire and the man's face turned red and then purple as her burning fingers circled his throat.

Their entire fight had been eerily silent but a sudden scream snapped them back into action. Logan and Laurel were faster than the others as they bolted through the building towards the sounds. Laurel could feel her heart pounding. The sounds were coming from the garage where the children were supposed to be being led to safety by the younger X-Men. Unlike the rest of the house the garage was brightly lit by huge fluorescent overhead lights. Rogue was struggling with someone in one corner and Storm was hand to hand with three others. Kitty was causing severe trouble for two assassins as she phased in and out around them, keeping them busy. Jubilee was setting off fireworks to protect whoever she could. Gambit, Bobby and Piotr had surrounded the children Jonah and Sawyer were helping to climb into a very big truck.

"That thing isn't going to get anywhere fast." Laurel mumbled.

An assassin leapt at them and she snapped his neck with one hand.

"They're not attacking the children." Scott shouted over the noise. "Where's the necklace?"

All hell broke loose after that. The fighting got louder and deadlier and everyone lost sight of everyone else as the older X-Men scattered trying to locate the necklace and the younger ones stepped up the struggle to keep the children out of the way. Laurel was fighting her way towards the safe where the necklace was when something shot out of nowhere and struck her on the temple.

* * *

A blindingly bright light was doing absolutely nothing for her head. She felt like someone had filled her head with rocks and shook it up. Then kicked it around for a while for good measure. She groaned and tried to sit up but something was pushing her back down.

"How are you feeling?"

She was pretty sure that voice was Scott's but then her head felt like it might break if she moved too suddenly so she wasn't really sure she trusted it yet.

"I'd be just fine if someone would turn the goddamn lights down."

Chuckling and giggles surrounded her and she managed to find strength in her outrage to sit up. Almost everyone was in the infirmary staring at her. Jubilee was having her forearm bandaged on a bed to her left and Storm was unsuccessfully trying to get a needle into Bobby's leg so she could stitch up a nasty cut. Apparently he didn't like needles. Jonah was having some burn salve rubbed into his back by Kitty.

"What happened?" Laurel muttered, rubbing her aching neck as Scott took her temperature and shone a pen light into her eyes.

"They pulled back." Logan rumbled from the doorway, a beer in hand and plenty of blood smeared on him. "Turned tail and ran."

He crossed the room and handed Laurel the spare beer. She ignored the look Scott gave her and chugged most of it back. Scott finished his tests and took a step back from her. He had a cut on his forehead that had been stitched up and his jaw was rapidly purpling.

"What's the diagnosis, doc? Will I live?"

He frowned at her and she smiled sweetly. Reluctantly he grinned back and she handed him the half-drunk beer.

"You just got knocked on the head."

Laurel shrugged and dropped down from the gurney.

"No damage then, huh."

She stumbled and almost lost her balance as the blood rushed to her head. Scott caught her elbow and she rested her palm briefly against his chest to support herself. She glanced around at them with a questioning look and Storm, who had finally gotten a firm enough grip on Bobby to fix his leg, assured her that they hadn't lost anyone and the Mansion was fine. She nodded and tugged her elbow out of Scott's grip.

"Well if the world is safe for the time being, then I'm going for a run."

Scott tried to protest that she should rest some more but she was still sore at some idiot getting the drop on her and she shrugged him off. She knew Logan was following her as she took the stairs up to her room.

"Why do you always take the stairs?"

She gave Evangeline, who had appeared out of the kitchen as they had passed it, a look and then shrugged.

"Tactics. Pretty easy to get cornered in a tiny metal box."

Evangeline didn't answer but she looked as if she was mulling it over as they reached Laurel's room. She turned in the doorway and looked at them. Logan shrugged.

"Had an itchin' for a run."

The look he gave her was completely deadpan but even Evangeline looked confused. She excused herself and disappeared down the hallway. Laurel had nothing against the kid but the way she was so silent all the time was pretty damn creepy if you asked her. Logan was watching the corner Evangeline had just vanished behind. He didn't really have an expression besides angry, angrier and downright murderous. At the moment the look on his face was as close to an expression as he could manage. His brows were pulled down and his lips were pressed together pretty tightly.

Laurel grinned at him and shut the door.

* * *

Running with Logan was almost the same as running alone. That was the conclusion she'd come to. They'd been circling the grounds for an interminably long time, sometimes racing as fast as they could and sometimes jogging at a steady pace. Neither of them had said a word the entire time.

"So… you and One-Eye."

If her reflexes hadn't been so finely attuned she would have stumbled. She cast a furtive glance sideways but Logan was as expressionless as always. She shrugged, trying to hide her confused expression in the misty rain they were running through.

"No comment." Laurel sighed as they rounded a corner, wanting to avoid the topic hammering against her brain which the run was supposed to be blocking out.

Logan stared at the side of her face for a contemplative moment.

"You and Evangeline."

He frowned at her and picked up the pace, pounding past her until she could see the sweat and rain beading on his bare shoulders. She pushed her legs a little and caught up easily. It was strange running with someone who could keep pace with her. She didn't even have to keep her pace in check.

"No comment." He grunted and she laughed, which made her head sting.

She'd washed her face and the blood from her hair before the run and had switched her ruined pyjamas for a pair of jogging bottoms and a vest top. They were uncomfortably damp by now and her long ponytail was falling apart. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and her hand came back bloody.

"Maybe you shouldn't have left the hospital so soon." Logan suggested.

Laurel shrugged as they came towards the front of the Mansion again and she broke away from him, heading towards the porch. She went through her cool down stretches on auto-pilot and Logan watched her silently.

"I've had worse than this scratch." She scoffed, propping her leg up on the edge of the railing and touching her toes.

He stared out over the misty grounds while she stretched out her muscles and she wondered where his mind went when he spaced out.

"You needin' something, boys?"

She frowned and scanned the grounds until she saw the group of boys he was talking to. They appeared to have been heading back in from the basketball court and had been distracted by her limber stretching. They beat a hasty retreat when they realised Logan had seen them though and she laughed.

"They're just teenage boys."

He snorted and followed her back into the house.

* * *

Tension was high in the Mansion since they still hadn't been able to find out who sent the SWAT team that had attacked them last night. Laurel had sparred with Storm, Gambit both Bobby and Piotr together and she'd shown Rogue and Jubilee a few basic self-defence moves, but she was still on edge. Getting hit in the head and blacking out had spooked her, she was getting complacent. She'd headed for the pool so she could stop thinking for a while but there was already someone there.

Even the sharp scent of chlorine couldn't disguise Evangeline's distinctive scent and Laurel dropped her legs into the pool out of the way of the younger girl's laps. She watched her absently for a while, the steady rhythmic pacing lulling her rattled mind. Evangeline was a good strong swimmer, she was fast too. Laurel could hold her own under water but Evangeline had talent. She kept lapping for a long time and Laurel listened vaguely to the sound of the water sliding over her body as she lifted her arms out.

When the water was silent she watched Evangeline approach her slowly, hardly out of breath even though she'd been swimming for a long time with no break. She pulled off her swim cap and her dark hair fell around her face making her look even younger. Her childish features were a stark contrast to the very womanly body beneath it, clearly revealed by her black and white polka dot swimsuit. She looked at Laurel for a long time, almost as if she wanted desperately to say something but she lacked the courage. Eventually she climbed out of the pool and wrapped herself up in a big fluffy towel. After she'd gone Laurel took her place in the water. That girl's heart was clearly too fragile for Logan. It would not end well. She tried not to think that the same was probably true for her and Scott as she propelled herself through the water.

* * *

**gambitfan85** – thanks very much

**Tainted Silver Rose** – sorry it took so long

**prboricua7** – thanks a lot hope you like this one too

**KillerShoe** – I'm still alive, here's your update


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